


Charlotte Blues

by sevenvoyager (orphan_account)



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BDSM, Blood and Gore, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Romance, Violence, Zombie Apocalypse, graphic birth, graphic surgical scenes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-15
Updated: 2014-12-11
Packaged: 2018-02-25 12:55:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 28,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2622545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/sevenvoyager
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All virusses have a weakness no matter how strong a disease is. 1% of the human population is immune to the deadly virus that turns almost everyone into walkers. Collyn's four year old son is one of the 1% but that's not the only things she has to deal with. <br/>When Collyn and her brother rescue Merle Dixon in the city of Atlanta she unwillingly brings back a ton of problems. One of them? To keep Merle and his brother from finding out Caden's real parentage. </p><p>Will Collyn be able to keep them from finding out? And can her brother Jesse create a cure for the disease? Only time will tell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is my first Walking dead fanfic and it's also my side project during NaNoWriMo. I hope it's liked and you guys enjoy it, let me know if you liked it or if you have any tips to improve the story. So please read & review or favor and I'll see you guys next time.

Country music blared through the speakers in the small redneck bar he often frequented. Smoke hung thick in the air creating a mysterious and hazed atmosphere around him and the other patrons. The soft clinks and clanks of the pool table and the occasional chatter were faintly audible if one listened carefully enough. The door opened and closed behind his back but he payed it no mind as he signaled the bartender for another drink. He knew that drinking and drugs don't mix well together but at that moment he couldn't care less.

The newcomer sat down next to him and he had to do a double take to catch a good glimps of her. Long curly brown hair fell past her shoulders, framing her heart shaped face. The only make up she wore was some bright red lipstick and some mascara to frame her vibrant green eyes. She was absolutely gorgeous with curves in all the right places that were enhanced by her red dress. She wasn't thin like the models in magazines, which was exactly what he prefered in women. Nice round hips and a firm ass with some good sized tits.

And that was exactly what she was and by jesus he would have her before the night was over. He leaned towards her a little and gave her his most charming smile. "Sup, beautiful." She turned towards him and roamed her eyes over the muscled and firm frame he had to offer.

She must have liked it because she smiled brightly at him and leaned in as well. "I'm good, how 'bout you, handsome?"

"Doin' a lot better now that ya are here darlin'." He replied easily. Oh hell yeah he was gonna get laid tonight. This chick was into him and already intoxicated and in his alcohol and meth induced haze that was practically an inventation to tap her sweet pussy.

"Hmm, I'll bet. Wanna take this someplace else?" She asked softly as she ran her hand up his thigh and let it rest near his crotch.

"Hells yeah." He answered quickly helping her off the stool and towards the mens room without second thoughts. Not that anyone cared about it anyway, the bartender saw this shit daily and so did most of the other patrons. And even if they did care, Merle and his new lady friend certainly didn't.

They stumbled into one of the stalls, their faces hovering close to one another before their lips met in a passionate battle of dominance. He unbuckled his belt and let his pants drop to his ankles, followed by his boxers. His member slowly hardened under her skilled hand while Merle pulled off her panties. He lifted her up against the stall and crashed his lips onto hers as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Entering her was like eating sweet warm apple pie after a week without food, it was wonderfully delicious. They moved together as one in a tangle of limbs and moans of passion. Working together to reach that ultimate high. The pleasure build up gradually for both of them, their drunk hazed minds swirling around and preventing them from thinking straight.

She moaned harder as her climax neared, kissing his lips and cheeks as it build within her until her walls finally clenched around him. He moaned just once as he came within her, the rhythmic contractions milking him for all he was worth.

They went their seperate ways after that night, he could barely remember it to be honest. He could only remember that she had brown curly hair and green eyes, all other details of her were faded in his memory. Hazy images thanks to Crystal Meth and his little friend named Alcohol. He just hoped it wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass.

\--**--

If anyone had told her five years ago that she'd be a young single mother at the age of twenty one, she'd have laughed in their face. She wasn't laughing anymore. She looked down at the small sleeping baby in her arms with a soft smile. Her little son, her little Caden. She gently readjusted the baby blue blanket he was wrapped in and rocked him to sleep. One of his tiny little hands rested on her breast as he slept, looking like a little angel.

The only regret she had was not knowing where his father was. She knew his name, they'd exchanged names and phone numbers before leaving the bar after their little adventure in the mens room. Merle Dixon, most likely a mountain redneck of Georgia and unavailable according to her phone service. All calls on her end had gone unanswered. She couldn't even tell him he had a son, and because of that she couldn't give Caden his surname. Caden Merle Daniels is the name that now adorns her sons birth certificate.

His name is on her little boy's certificate and she wasn't about to change that. She wanted her son to know where he came from when he's old enough to understand. She had made peace with never seeing Merle again, and perhaps it was better this way anyway.

"Excuse me, miss Daniels?" One of the pediatric nurses was standing in the doorway as she looked up. Nurse Mary was one of her favorites so far. With her plump short body and red curly hair she kinda looked like Molly Weasley from the Harry Potter series. And in her opinion she pretty much acted like it as well. She was a very caring and kind nurse, had an incredible ammount of patience and a heart of gold. "You have two visitors."

"Let them in." She answered softly, looking down at her sleeping son to make sure he was comfortable. She looked up and smiled when she spotted her younger brother and sister in the doorway. Jesse was barely seventeen and Kailyn just turned fifteen herself. For the last three years she had been there sole caretaker, a job that she had to do until both of her siblings turned eighteen. Not that she minded it, after their parents death it was the least she could do for them.

"Hey." Kailyn whispered as she slowly shuffled forward, straining her neck to catch a glimpse of her tiny nephew.

"Hey, Kaily. Come up here." She patted the bed next to her and shifted a little so her siblings could sit down beside her. Kailyn sat down next to her and grinned when Caden opened his baby blue eyes to look at his aunt. Not that he could actually see her, but it was good enough for Kaitlyn.

"He's gorgeous, Collyn…" Jesse whispered as he took a stance next to the bed. From there he could have a good look of his nephew without disturbing his sisters on the bed. "We finally have another man in the family."

Collyn chuckled and carefully readjusted her arms into a more comfortable position. "That we have, and an adorable one at that." She chuckled before looking at her little sister. "Would you like to hold him?" She asked softly as to not to disturb the baby.

Her sister nodded in awe and carefully took him over into her arms, making sure she supported the little head at all times. Little Caden fussed a little in his aunts arms, waving his little hands about in frustration. Kailyn gently took hold of one of the little fists and softly shook it to draw the baby's attention. Caden cooed happily and explored the much larger hand of his aunt.

They stayed like that for awhile, just the four of them bonding as a family and cooing at the newest member.

"Do you know his father?" Jesse asked her after awhile and she sighed softly in defeat.

"Not really" She answered "I know his name and I know what he looks like but that's about it."

"You think he'll care about Caden once he finds out?" Kailyn looked up at her with wide eyes, almost as if she's afraid to lose their little miracle.

"I don't know." Collyn admited softly, taking back the baby from her younger sister so her little son could sleep. "I hope he will, he's got rights as Caden's father."

"Hmm" Jesse hummed as he ran a hand through his hair. "I hope he stays far away. We don't need trouble like that. I mean come on, this guy was a one night stand. He's hardly father material."

"Maybe…" Kailyn muttered as she looked down at her hands and sighed. "But I hope he is, Caden deserve to have a mom and dad." She said and for a moment all went quiet. The reminder of their deceased parents was enough to bring back bad memories none of them were ready to face just yet.

She wasn't even gonna try it at this point in time. Today was about her son and the life he would have one day. All she could do was raise him right and guide him through life as best as she could. And that's a promise she would never break.

Not even for one Merle Dixon.


	2. Lost & Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merle is left on a rooftop and has to make a very difficult decision to escape certain death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I mentioned earlier, I'm writing this for NaNo and I will try to write at least 1 chapter a day. So November is a month of regular updates on this story. Please leave reviews if you enjoy the story because I love getting them. Especially if you have any pointers for me. If you enjoyed it and have no pointers for me please just follow or favorite the story. That would mean the world to me. Thank you so much for reading and you'll see me at the next update.

"Ya'all can't leave me here! This ain't human!" He yelled, watching officer friendly and his merry band of hypocritical misfits gather the salvaged goods. He was gonna get them, all of them. He was gonna rip them to shreds and feed them to the walkers, that's what he was gonna do.

"Calm down, we'll come get you when we find a way out." Officer friendly with his stupid ass uniform replied. God he hated this guy with his goody two shoes attitude. What kinda man would even wanna wear something like that, let alone 'abide the law' in that pansy suit. Jackass, that's what he was.

"Hey, ya come back here! I know my rights!" He screamed as the rest followed Rick off the roof. The damn nigger looked back at him, almost as if he was contemplating on releasing him. But even the damn frigging nigger followed that fucking sherrif. "Ya get back here, Yogi bear! Get me outta these!"

The group took the roof exit down, closing the door behind them. He sagged against the metal pipe he was cuffed to, his energy draining and his anger fading slightly. Oh he'd get them alright. He'd get outta this one way or another.

The door opened again and he looked up to see who it was. It wasn't some damn chomper, thank god. But it wasn't much better then that, it was the damn nigger… with the key to the cuffs. The fool ran over to him, knocking over Dale's toolbag in the process. "Yeah, come on. Come on man, cut me loose. That's it, come on."

T-dog stumbled over his own damn feet and dropped the damn keys. Straight into the small drainpipe…

"Son of a bitch, ya did that on purpose!" He ranted, trying to kick the other man for good measure.

The fool stared at the fucking drainpipe for a few more seconds before getting up. "No I didn't mean to."

"You lie! Ya did it on purpose!"

The frigging nigger ran for the door and barely had the decency to take one last look at him. "It was an accident!" The stupid idiot hovered near the door for another second before disappearing entirely. He can't do this to him, you can't just leave someone like this…

"Don't leave me, man! Don't leave me! Don't leave me."

It stayed quiet on the other side of the door and it only served to infurriate him further. "You liar!" He fought against the cuffs, rattling them against the metal drainpipe he's cuffed to.

He faintly hears the idiot mutter a "I'm sorry man." But it does little to quell his rage. The rattling of chains on the other side of the door sets him into another fit, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Don't leave me! Ya can't do this! Ya can't leave me like this!"

He struggled with his cuffs, pulling and twisting them around as he tried to break free from his bounds, but they won't budge. Not a single inch. They left him, they left him up on this roof and there's no escape. He can't get away…

"Argh!" He screamed to the sky, pulling at his bounds harder then before. "I ain't gonna beg! Ya hear me, god? I ain't gonna beg for it!"

There's sounds coming from behind the door and for a moment he goes quiet. Rotting arms and legs tried to pry open the only block to the roof, panic rose in him and he trashed and fought harder. "No, no, no. Oh god, oh god. I'm being punished, I know. I deserve it, I've been bad."

The sounds intensify around him, any time now those chompers could get through that door. He needed to get loose and get going. But how? The fucking idiot dropped the motherfucking key! He grunted softly in frustration and looked around for anything that might help him.. The hacksaw. The nigger kicked the hacksaw in his direction before he bolted. If he can reach that, he could cut himself free!

He struggled to undo his belt wiggling around as quiet as he possibly can. He grunted and moaned softly and let out a breathy laugh when he finally got the damn thing free. He whipped it towards the hacksaw, trying to catch the handle on the belt buckle as he pulled back. It doesn't work and he growled in frustration as he tried again and again and… yes! He chuckled in triumph and pulled the hacksaw towards him, carefully sitting back in his old spot to get a good angle so he can cut these damn cuffs off.

He tried to saw the metal, pushing harder and harder in frustration as he realized that the saw's blade is too dull to cut into the hard metal. "Nonononono." He moaned letting out a few sobs before laughing softly. "I ain't gonna beg for it. Ya hear me Jesus? I ain't gonna beg for it!"

He looked down at his arm and back at the saw a few times, trying to work up the courage to pick the damn thing up again. He can't do this, he shouldn't even be thinking about it. He's not gonna be of much use without his right hand. He just can't. He looked up as if god would give him the answer to his dilemma but of course all stayed silent.

"Fuck." He cursed softly, breathing in and out eratically as he set the saw a little bit above the wrist joint of his right hand. He dropped it and picked up the belt instead, using it to make himself a make shift tourniqet. He tightened it as far as he could, feeling his arm pulsate and growing warmer. He gathered all of his courage and made the first sawing motion, blood welled up from the cut but he doesn't drop the blade.

He managed to keep his screams silent as he cut deeper and deeper into his own skin and flesh. He thrased when the saw hit bone and let out a short scream as he grinds the saw over it, blood drips down over his pants and onto the ground as he cuts. After awhile he couldn't feel the pain anymore, his body numbing it down enough so he barely felt it anymore.

Finally, after what seemed hours he finally cut through the last bit of bones and flesh. He's finally free. Relief and pain washed over him and he stumbled onto his own two feet. He takes deep breaths in and out as he looked around for another way out.

On the other side of the roof was another escape and he managed to open the door. He had a wrench in his left hand as he descended down the stairs and took out the two walkers in his path. He struggled to stay awake and made his way into the kitchen, the burners there could flame up pretty high and he used them to cauterize his stump. The smell of burning flesh and the pain made him pass out, collapsing onto the floor. The last thing he saw before his light went out was a mob of curly brown hair and a flash of green eyes.


	3. Phantom pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merle struggles with the after effects of his actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's today's update, as promised. I hope you guys enjoy it and if you did let me know by leaving a review or favorite the story. Thanks for reading and I'll be back tomorrow with the update.

The first thing he heard when consciousness came back to him was the voice of his younger brother. Daryl yelled something at officer friendly, at least he thought it was officer friendly by the tone he heard, if his ears still worked properly. He groaned softly, his head moving from side to side as he slowly opened his eyes. Why was everything so damn blurry? And why was it so hot in here? It felt like he was boiling in here. Fucking heat.

He felt his way around, his hand finally closing around the door handle. He got up out of the car and leaned against it as he tried looking around again. It was a little less blurry this time around and he could make out the shapes of his brother, officer friendly and the fucking wife robber along with two new people. The people that had saved his ass no doubt. He carefully stepped around the car and sat down on the hood for support.

“Don’t ya tell me what to do! I ain’t ya fucking pet.” Daryl snapped at their so called leader. “You cuffed my brother to a frigging roof and now you’re asking me to leave him. Ain’t happening man. I’m going with them wether ya like it or not.” 

Damn baby bro looked pissed and that didn’t bode well for the two ex police officers. Dumb and dumber were really trying to keep his little brother in the group, damn idiots probably needed the muscle. Darlyna wasn’t convinced though, that much was obvious.

“We could really use someone like you.” Sheriff Rick started but baby bro wasn’t having it. It was actually pretty amusing to watch their blurry forms yell each others heads off. Kinda resembled watching the Muppet's or one of those Japanese gaming shows where people fell off stuff or jumped in mud.

“Ain’t happening man, I ain’t leavi-” Darlyna stopped mid sentence and seemed to look at him, though it was hard to tell with his blurry vision. Had taken them a bloody long time to figure out he was there though, any longer and his hand might grow back. Ha! As if…

“Merle!” Darlyna crossed the small distance between them and before long he had his baby brother hovering over him like some frickin’ Jewish mother. He was such a girl sometimes…

“Yeah, yeah. Merle’s back.” He rasped, trying to bring some humor back into the conversation. His vision swarmed again and he let out a long low groan, his right hand hurt so much. He tried to rest his head on it but startled when his head made contact with a bloody stump that smelled like a dead coon. That couldn’t be good. “My hand…” He moaned, backing up along the hood almost as if he was trying to run from the horror that was now his right arm. No. No no no no no. This couldn’t be happening to him.

His hand was gone, but why was it still hurting so much? It almost seemed like the damn thing was still attached. He could swear he felt it move as well. He faintly registered his little bro’s hand tapping against his cheek, most likely to snap him out of it. “What?” He asked as he squinted his eyes and tried to focus, his vision became clearer and he could easily distinguish Darlyna now.

“Merle, Merle. Stay awake okay? We’re gonna find you some help for that.” Darlyna said as he held him. It was strange being comforted by his younger brother. He was the one that should be comforting Darlyna after all.

“Come on, let’s get him back into the car. We have doctors at the base as well as plenty of medical supplies. We can reach it before nightfall if we go now.” A female voice spoke up and he could finally see his rescuer.

She was a young woman of about twenty five years of age, give or take. Her long curly brown hair fell past her shoulders and her vibrant green eyes were framed by long eyelashes. No make up and nothing fancy but she was still a beauty to look at. He had a distinct feeling he’d seen her before but he couldn’t remember where.

His little brother helped him back into the passengers seat and buckled him in. “I’m just gonna grab our supplies, the bike and the truck and then I’ll be right behind ya. Kay?” He said before closing the door behind him. 

It was good to know Daryl was coming with him. He was so much better then all of these jackasses that called themselves a group. The young woman got into the drivers seat next to him and gave him a small but friendly smile in return. Her companion, a boy about twenty one years old sat down in the back of the car. It was probably her brother by the looks of it. They certainly seemed similar enough.

“So where we goin’ sweetheart? Your place or mine?” He rasped, trying to keep some humor around. Merle wouldn’t be Merle if he didn’t at least try to hit on her. With a body like that it was a damn shame he hadn’t tapped it yet. But he would, maybe not anytime soon but he could be a patient man. He could wait.

“Mine.” She replied easily, turning the key in the ignition and backing up onto the road as Daryl’s truck came into view. “We gotta get you some medical treatment. Antibiotics and painkillers. Maybe some surgery for that stump, clean it up a little.”

He laughed, almost delirious with pain as he looked at her while she drove him to her base. “Fix it? Honey, I ain’t fixable.” He chuckled sadly and looked down at his feet. “Sides, there aren’t any hospitals anymore. Surgery just ain’t possible.”

“You’d be surprised.” She replied “We actually have a sterile operating room. Ransacked a local veterinarian for the supplies and instruments. They may be small, but they’re sterile and will work just as fine.”

“Really? And how do ya sterilize all that stuff after a surgery? Ya got any solutions for that?”

“Of course we do. We have an Autoclave that we salvaged from the same vet clinic. Found a whole bunch of jerrycans containing demi-water as well. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” She tried to calm him down, he knew that. It just didn’t sit well with him that it was actually working. He sighed and looked down at the hideous stump, feeling quite disgusted and remorseful over what he had done. But there was no going back and even if there was, he’d still have made this decision. Anything was better then being chained to a fucking drainpipe.

He hummed in return and laid his head against the cool glass of the window. God it was hot around here. Was the damn air conditioning even on? He probably had a bad sunstroke or worse, the stump had gotten infected. That wouldn’t be good, not good at all. He closed his eyes for a few moments as he tried to block out the pain, not that it really helped. He startled awake when the car started shaking and he squinted his eyes to take a look through the darkness outside.

How long had they been driving by now? It must have been hours considering the pitch black air around them. Faint light beams attracted his attention as they broke through the tree line and onto a wide open clearing. At first he thought it was a prison with it’s huge lights and guard towers strategically placed around the fencing. But on closer inspection he saw it wasn’t a prison. 

The fenced off area held a small parking lot, some field were they grew produce. Even pastures with livestock and a concrete bunker that looked way to small to fit in all the people on watch. Let alone any others that might live at this base. 

“Where are we?” He asked, his gaze fixated on the giant electric gate that seemed to be powered by solar panels and a few small wind generators. So that’s how they kept this place going. There were self sustaining.

“A wildlife park near Charlotte, South Carolina. The bunker ahead was once used as an underground storage facility by the government. They abandoned it years ago and we set up camp here. We’re a safe haven for other survivors.” The girl explained as they drove through the gate and found a parking spot. Daryl’s truck pulled up next to them, the gate closing behind them.

One by one the lights were turned off again and any walkers that had ventured into the clearing were shot on sight. These guys were well prepared, they knew how to survive. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to end up here.

“I didn’t catch ya name.” He looked at her for a few moments, waiting for an answer that she seemed reluctant to give.

“Collyn. Name’s Collyn.” She muttered as she opened the door and got out of the car. 

At least he finally had a name, that had to count for something. He barely registered it when Daryl opened his door and helped him out. The pain and blood loss hadn’t done him good and he needed immediate medical attention. Thankfully Collyn had seen it as well.

“Jones, Kyle. Please escort these two to the infirmary. One of them needs a doctor and fast.” Collyn instructed her men before walking off to one of the guard towers. Her brother, some kid whose name he didn’t know walked ahead and into the bunker. 

The two muscle heads Jones and kyle followed him, gesturing for him and Darlyna to do the same. He needed better names for them then Jones and Kyle. Jones was easy, from now on he’d call him Taco Bell. Kyle though was a little harder, he was some Caucasian skinny kid that seemed pretty useless. Skimpy. That’s what he was gonna call him.

The stairs down were a bit of a challenge for him and Darlyna but they managed without tripping or falling. They hadn’t set foot onto the concrete floor or some white coats came running over. He didn’t have the energy to sneer at them or kick their asses for touching him. Otherwise he would’ve, doctor or not he didn’t fucking care.

He looked around as Daryl supported his ass to one of the emergency rooms. Yeah this fucking place had more then one of those. The building itself was fucking huge. Seemed to go on for miles in this underground tunnel system. Ingenious really, Collyn had to be smart to set all of this up.

These people didn’t just survive, they thrived and lived relatively normal lives in this apocalyptic wasteland. 

Darlyna hauled his ass onto an examination table and stepped aside to let one of doctors take a look at his right arm. He didn’t like it one bit. He could’ve lived with a female doctor but this one…

It was a damn nigger! Hell no. He grunted and tried to pull his arm away but he simply didn’t have the strength to really fight it. The doc gently lifted the stump and carefully unwrapped the bandages. The smell almost made him pass out. It smelled worse then a dead raccoon. Way worse. People around him looked away from it and gagged. He couldn’t really blame them for that, the stench was almost unbearable.

The doc gave him some painkillers and antibiotics before calling in someone else. “John look at this. You think you can patch it up a little?”

The new guy shook his head and took a closer look at his arm. “Maybe, I’ll have to take off another couple of inches until I hit healthy flesh. Don’t know if that’ll get him through the night though.”

The nigger nodded and sighed. “We gotta try at least. Let’s put him under and take him into surgery.”

The surgeon agreed and went to a cabinet on the other side of the room. He came back with a filled syringe. 

“What’s in that?” Daryl asked as he watched the stranger closely.

“Anesthetic.” The doc answered “We need to put him under for surgery and get all that infected and dead tissue off before it poisons his blood.”

Daryl just nodded, giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze as he let the doc jam his needle into my upper arm. The world around me went fuzzy and blurry again and sounds mixed together in a strange tune before his whole world went dark once more.


	4. Blood is thicker than water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merle undergoes surgery and Collyn finds out her son is more special than she believes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, today's update. I hope someone will review the story, I like getting reviews. But if not that's cool. Just let me know if you liked it by favoring it or following it. Thanks for reading and I will be back tomorrow with the next update.

The call came after she did her rounds. Their guest was going under for surgery and as a leader it was her duty to watch over the familiar one handed man. Merle, she heard that name before almost five years ago. That one night had changed her life drastically. And now she was watching him undergo surgery. Funny where life could take you.

The doctors had stripped the man and disinfected his right arm and were currently discussing how much they should take off. She was grateful of the glass separating her from the OR. She didn't really want to know what they were saying. It was bad enough she had to watch it.

She took a better look at the man lying on the operating table. Sleeping like that, hooked up to a respirator, he actually looked peaceful. She hadn't seen that look before. Then again, she didn't really know him.

They cut out a hole in the sterile cover and looped his right arm through it to keep the rest of his body relatively clean. A tourniquet was placed on his upper arm to keep blood loss to a minimum. She watched as the surgeon drew a line on his lower arm about six inches from his elbow. A few more words were exchanged before the surgeon made his first cut along the lines, carefully opening up the first layers of skin to get down to the muscle.

Blood welled up from the cut but was quickly wiped away by one of the assistants. The doc cut through muscle tissue next, and carefully clamped any squirter's they ran into. He had his fellow surgeon cauterize the blood vessels and cut away the last remnants of muscle and tendons. By the time they took the powered bone saw out of it's sterilized case she could barely look at the surgery taking place.

The grinding of the saw on the bones of Merle's lower arm sounded like chalk grinding on a blackboard. Sure it was a lot louder and far more terrible to listen to, but it had similarities. She felt the sharp taste of stomach acid in her mouth as the saw cut through the radius, it had her running for the nearby bin to empty her stomach. She'd seen a lot of surgery's and plenty of bones and organs but seeing it being performed on infected tissue was new. The bone splintered and pus dripped onto the floor from the severed arm. Even the medical team needed a couple of seconds to get their bearings from the overpowering smell.

When it was finally cleaned they could start on suturing the massive wound. She watched as they trimmed down the bone to pull the muscle tissue and skin over it. It was probably as tricky as it looked because they wanted to keep the tendons of the elbow in tact. Half an hour later they finally closed the wound and turned down the anesthesia to wake the poor guy up.

It took just a few minutes for Merle to awaken from the anesthetics and one of the surgical assistants quickly took the intubation tube out of the man's throat. Merle coughed up a storm, which was a normal reaction to having a tube shoved down your throat. One of the surgeons informed the man of what happened and how the surgery went but the tough redneck was too out of it to understand any words that were spoken to him.

She left the adjoining watch room and followed the nurses to one of their recovery rooms to keep an eye on him. "Laura, could you please notify his brother and bring him here?" She asked softly, not taking her eyes of the man that had given her the greatest gift of all. It was strange and kinda awkward to watch him while he woke up but she felt like she should be there. She got him out of Atlanta and that made him her responsibility.

Merle groaned and coughed some more, opening his eyes just a bit to try and look at her. "Good evening." She gently laid a hand on his forehead and frowned at the heat still radiating off him. She hoped the antibiotics would kick in soon and take down that nasty infection before it got any worse.

Shoes skidding across the floor announced the arrival of Daryl and she looked up with a small smile in greeting. "He's waking up. I'll leave the two of you alone." She muttered, leaving the room to let the two brothers bond for the moment.

"Lab to Collyn, come in." The portable radio on her belt crackled as she walked down the long corridor.

"Collyn here." She answered, stopping for a moment to check what her brother had to say.

"Come down here, I found something interesting." Jesse said over the radio.

"Coming." She replied, tucking the radio back into it's pouch. She made her way down to the lab, an isolated area where Jesse and other scientist researched the disease that was bringing mankind down to it's knees.

"Mommy! Mommy!" A soft child like voice rang through the lab and she caught sight of a mob of brown hair before she was practically tackled by a hyper four year old.

"Caden." Collyn laughed as she staggered a few steps back and scooped her son into her arms. "What are you doing down here?"

"Helping uncle Jesse." Caden grinned, playing with his mothers hair as she held him.

"How? Do you have to hand him his stuff?" Collyn asked gently, sending her brother a stern look.

"No, uncle Jesse took my blood."

"He… took your blood?"

"Before you start ranting, come check this out." Jesse interrupted them, pointing at the screen in front of him. "This is a sample of Caden's blood." He pointed to the image on the left side of the screen. "And this" He pointed to the right and looked back up at her. "Is Caden's blood reacting to the blood of a walker."

She looked at the screen in disbelief and shook her head. "That's not possible. Your pulling my leg."

"Wish I was, sis. But this is real." Jesse answered as he settled his gaze back onto the screen.

On screen the walkers blood appeared black with a strange five armed microbe in the middle of it all. The disease was a virus, a notoriously difficult pathogen to conquer. But Caden's blood seemed to do the trick. Caden's white blood cells were actually attacking and winning from the virus, swallowing it whole before breaking it down within the blood cells themselves.

"How?" She whispered as she looked away from the screen and settled her gaze onto her four year old son.

"Well…" Jesse started "There's one explanation."

"Which is?"

"He's immune." Jesse answered, giving his sister some time to let it sink in.

"…" She couldn't say anything for a few minutes and simply stared at her little boy in confusion. "You're trying to tell me, that my four year old son holds the key to save humanity?"

"Well, to be fair, I don't think he's the only one." Jesse replied as he pulled more information up on the screen. "I think that about one percent of the total humane population is immune. Caden is just one of them."

"What will this mean for him? Can he still run around and be a child?" She asked softly. As much as she wanted to save humanity, she didn't want to sacrifice her son for it, or take away the last shreds of a childhood that he still had.

"Yeah, course he can. I'm not planning on locking him in the lab all day. I'll just need a small monthly blood sample. That's all I'll need from him, it'll barely have an impact on his life." Jesse explained.

She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. This was Jesse, of course he wouldn't endanger Caden in any way. She kinda felt terrible for even thinking it. "Is it alright if I take him? I think he's had enough excitement for today."

Her brother nodded and waved goodbye to Caden. The little boy just waved back and cuddled up against his mother's warmth as she carried him. She took him to the common living area where all families gathered to socialize and let their children play with one another. She watched her little boy carefully as he ran off to play with his friends. She didn't know what would be in store for him in the nearby future. She just hoped she could hide him long enough so Merle wouldn't find out.

"Hey." Callie greeted her as she came up next to her. Callie was her best friend and confidante. Her right hand woman and her support in a world where death plagued them every single moments of their lives.

"Hey." She replied, smiling at her friend. Callie wasn't usually shy, so something had to up for her to act like this. "What's wrong?"

Callie bit her lip and shrugged. "The man you brought back.. Is he Caden's father?"

"I see news travels fast around here." She sighed softly and ran a hand through her hair.

"Well, it does among the commanders. You know Jones likes to talk." Callie replied.

"I know. And yes, he is. But I don't want him to find out about that. At least not now."

"Hmm, I get why. We don't really know the guy. So you want to test him and his brother first?"

"They get the same test as everybody else. Three months and then we'll see."

"I'll let the others know." Callie promised, nodding in agreement. "Oh and uh, the brother?"

"What about him?" Collyn asked even though she already knew what Callie was gonna ask. She was transparent when it came to guys she liked, but she'd humor her for the moment.

"Is he free game?"

"If he passes the test, sure." Collyn shook her head and settled her gaze back on her little boy. Caden was engrossed in his little game of hide and seek with the other kids and seemed to be having a good time.

"You know, you can ask Kailyn to watch him for half an hour." Callie suggested. She turned towards her friend with a frown, cocking her head slightly to the right.

"Why?" She asked, she didn't really get her friends intentions and that kinda bothered her. Usually Callie wasn't so… cryptic.

"So we can go and deliver the news to the brothers."

"You really want to meet this guy, don't you?" Collyn chuckled as the pieces finally fell into place. She had to admit that Merle's brother was a looker but she hadn't expected Callie to take such an interest in him. "Fine. Let me talk to Kailyn first."

"Sure."

She found her sister sitting on one of the sofa's, already watching over the kids. The nineteen year old had really taken to babysitting, always watching over the kids that lived at the base. And she was good with them too. "Hey Kaily." She greeted her sister as she sat down next to her.

"Hey, Caden's doing good." Kailyn answered, not even looking at her. Her sisters gaze stayed glued to the kids.

"I know, can you watch him or an hour?"

"Sure, why?"

"I need to have a chat with our latest guests."

Kailyn looked at her for a moment or two before nodding. "Okay, sure. Just… be careful okay?"

"I will." She promised, getting up from the couch. She signaled Callie to follow. She had no idea how Daryl would react to them. Merle was probably gonna be out of it for another few hours, so she doubted he'd cause much trouble for them. She took a deep breath as they walked down the corridor and gathered up her courage when they arrived at the recovery room. Her hand hovered over the doorknob for a minute or two before she opened the door. Time to have a talk with their guests.


	5. Rules and Regulations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merle wakes up from surgery and has an argument with everyone over his meds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's the next update. It's a little shorter then the last chapter because I ran out of ideas near the end. I'd really appreciate it if someone could review this chapter and let me know what I can improve on it. Hope you guys enjoy this anyway and I'll be back tomorrow with the next update.

His head felt light and hazy, as if he'd gotten hold of his crystal again and just sniffed up the whole bag. He felt pretty damn good for once, there wasn't any pain, no headaches. Just a drug induced high that had him soaring on cloud nine. His eyes fluttered open for a moment or two but he quickly closed them again. The glaring lights assaulted his eyes and it felt like it burned them.

Voices echoed in his head and he slowly opened his eyes one more time. Collyn was standing next to his bed and greeted him. Urgh… he didn't ask for this shit. Sure the drugs were great, pretty awesome actually, but he was in no shape to deal with the woman at the moment.

He sighed in relief when she left the room and grinned when Daryl took her place at his side. "Hey bro." He greeted softly. He was way high and it showed by his inability to keep his head still and the dopey smile plastered all over his face.

"Hey, ya feelin' alright?" Darlyna asked as he pulled up a chair and sat down next to him.

He chuckled and nodded. "Yeah… think they gave me Morphine." He giggled for a second or two, turning his head away from Daryl to look at the ceiling.

"Then ya should come outta that cloud any minute." Daryl replied as he looked at the IV pump.

"Wadda ya mean?"

"Ya've had ya dose, I think."

Merle groaned and looked back at his brother. Of course he was gonna run out soon. God didn't want to give him the satisfaction, the pleasure of being high for the time being. He sighed softly and slowly drifted off to sleep. His head rested on the pillow near his brothers hand.

By the time he woke up his head was pounding and his arm felt like it was on fire. He groaned softly, opening his eyes to check on his little brother. "Hurts." He moaned softly, trying to reach out for the IV pump to crank up the dose.

Daryl however had a different plan and constantly kept the pump out of his brothers reach. "I know, but ya can't just press the button. You'll OD if ya ain't careful."

"God fuckin' dammit, Darlyna! Gimme the fuckin' pump." He growled, glaring at his brother while he tried to grab hold of the damn pump. His brother was a giant douche bag if he wanted to be one. And he hated it. He wasn't some friggin' child that needed to be mothered or babysat every five seconds. He shot his brother a foul like and gritted his teeth as he tried to reach again.

He didn't hear the door opening until he heard her voice echo through the room. "What the hell is going on?"

He straightened up just a bit and turned to look at her. "My brother's being a little bitch. That's what."

"Oh shut the fuck up, Merle. Just trying to help ya out." Daryl snapped back. So little bro had a dick and two balls after all. Why did he have to grow some now? When he was in pain and just wanted his fucking pain meds. God had it out for him, that was the only explanation he could think off.

"Right… shall we come back later?" The blonde next to Collyn asked. She was way too chipper for this fucking situation. Urgh, he hated people like that. She had good looks but that was about it. Shorty though, she was calm and seemed to be sympathetic to his situation. The brunette leaned against the door post on the other side of the room and was looking at him rather intently.

"Nah, he'll be good." Daryl told the blonde and his baby bro even smiled at the chick. What a loser.

He looked back at Collyn and raised an eyebrow when he caught her staring at the two ass kissers. Oh come on, Daryl wasn't gonna fall for the blonde, ain't no way. "Like what you see?" He asked the brunette, earning a tiny smile in return.

"Yeah they're so adorable when they look at each other like that." She replied, sarcasm obvious in the way she spoke. He chuckled at her and tried to reach for the pump again, but Daryl was onto him now. Fucking jackass.

"Funny." He grumbled, squirming a little to get into a more comfortable position. "Now be a good girl and get me more meds."

Collyn raised an eyebrow as she slowly approached the bed, hands on her hips as she looked down at him. "Ask me nicely."

"Oh bite me, bitch." He snapped. He was so fucking pissed by now. Why hadn't they upped his dosage yet?

"Okay, someone's on their period." Collyn bit back.

She was pissed alright but it was her own damn fault. Fucking bitch oughta know her place and get him some fucking meds. He was in pain, why couldn't anybody see that? He looked up when one of the doctors walked in. The stupid fool stopped for a few seconds and only continued when shorty gave him the okay. What the hell was he doing taking orders from a woman? What a douche.

The man checked him up and down, taking his temperature, blood pressure and checking his heart and respiratory rate. Or in other words, he was a giant pain in the ass that should be getting him his meds. "Hey, doc. Where's the meds?" He asked as the bloody incompetent fool that called himself a doctor. If the guy even was a doctor in the first place, wouldn't surprise him if the idiot just had a first aid certificate.

"Oh I don't have them. Doc Stevens is in charge of those and according to him you already have the maximum dosage."

He growled softly in the back of his throat, his left hand balling into a fist.

He was gonna fucking kill him, that's what he was gonna do. As soon as he got off of this bed he was gonna shove a stick up this guys ass and use him as a fucking flagpole.

"Mark, why don't you go ahead and find doc Stevens for me? I have a few things to discuss with these two gentlemen." Collyn instructed as she stepped forward to lead the doc out of the room. Finally the bitch made sense, good girl on getting his pain meds. Seems like she was good for something after all.

Darlyna nudged him in the shoulder and he reluctantly made some space on the bed for his little brother.

Blondie and shorty shared a brief look. God he wished they would just get it over with. He just wanted some meds to go back to sleep. Was that really that much to ask?

"Alright, now that we're alone…" Collyn started "Looks like you'll be staying here for awhile, so we're here to lay down the ground rules and get you guys settled in."

"Yay." Merle grumbled, shooting the two ladies an annoyed look. He hated rules, wasn't gonna follow them either.

"Shut up." Daryl bit back and nodded at the girls to continue.

"During your stay you'll contribute to the group. You'll either hunt and defend or do household chores. We consider men and women to be equal, so no sexist bullshit." She glared at him for a moment or two before continuing. "We do not tolerate domestic abuse or rape, it'll get you a one way ticket out those gates. We don't tolerate stealing or fights within the group either. You have a problem with someone, you come to me. Personal rooms cannot be entered without explicit permission. That goes both ways. Certain area's will be off limit to you until you pass the three month test. We gotta make sure you're trustworthy before allowing you access to the armory, it's a precaution. No civilian's allowed up top after sunset, so if you're on watch keep an eye out for people trying to take an evening stroll, they tend to try and go outside the gates. So for their own safety, we gotta keep them below ground to prevent that." She paused for a moment or two.

"Any questions?"

Merle grumbled a little but even he could see the logic in those rules. They weren't unreasonable, just a pain in the ass really. "Nah, shorty. We got it." He answered as he leaned back and sighed. Collyn and her friend seemed to get the hint and took their leave.

"If you need anything, just come find me." She said and he nodded in understanding as they left the room and finally left him and his brother in peace. The upcoming three months were gonna be hell. He faintly heard the doctors coming in again and finally his meds were adjusted. He drifted off to sleep wondering what life was gonna bring him next.


	6. Missing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merle makes a friend, gets into trouble and tries to blend into the community. Kailyn reports a missing child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy the update, let me know what you think of it in the comments below. Bookmark it to follow the story or leave Kudo's if you loved it.

Looking back on things wasn’t something he usually did. The past was the past and dwelling on it had never done anyone good. It hadn’t done him any good before, and it really didn’t do him any good right now. It’s been two fucking weeks since his surgery and while his arm was healing nicely, his brain wasn’t. The morphine they’d given him for post op medication had rekindled his thirst for meth. His brain was constantly calling out to him to find some, to take some drugs and take off the edge. It wasn’t exactly good for his general mood.

Collyn and Daryl were the only people that ever visited him, the rest stayed away. He didn’t mind, he didn’t want to know any of those fucking idiots anyway. The only other person brave enough to visit his room was Caden, Collyn’s four year old son. Don’t get him wrong, the kid was cute and had some real balls to come see him. But he could be annoying, constantly asking questions and chatting away at him. It gave him some real headaches in the last few days. He heard the sliding of the door against the concrete floor and looked at it. When he didn’t see anyone enter he chuckled and made himself comfortable again. “Buzz off, kid.” He grumbled as Caden appeared next to his bed.

“Why?” The little boy asked and he resisted the urge to just push the kid away.

“Because I’m tellin’ ya, that’s why. Get lost.” Merle snapped back, groaning in frustration when the kid just blinked up at him.

“Aren’t you alone?” Caden asked, big blue eyes staring up at him like some frigging puppy. God help him but he actually kinda liked this kid when he was quiet.

“So? I like bein’ alone. Now scram.”

Caden paid him no mind and simply climbed into the bed with him. What the hell did it take to scare this kid off? “Nobody should be alone.” The kid murmured as he cuddled up against his side.

He could push the kid off but that wouldn’t go off well with Collyn, or Daryl for that matter. He was above hurting children, especially young ones like Caden. He wasn’t his father and even though he was a jackass like him, he wouldn’t become him. Kids shouldn’t be hit or hurt, not in his eyes. He didn’t care if he yelled at them or called them names. But he drew the line at physical abuse. He sighed and relaxed as best as he could, just letting the kid lie there and keep him company.

“Do you have kids?” 

He looked down at the child and frowned. “No.”

“Oh…” The kid paused for a few minutes before looking up again. “Do you want kids?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

“What are ya askin’ me for?”

“I don’t have a dad.”

“…” he didn’t know what to say to that, really. “He die?”

“Dunno.”

“That’s life, kiddo.”

“Guess so.” The kid looked down at his shoes and played his with hands. 

Merle sighed and looked towards the door. He could make a break for it. But that would mean leaving the kid alone. He may be a jackass but not that kinda jackass. “Ya still got ya mom.”

“Yeah, ‘s true,” Caden smiled up at him and nodded “Hey Meryl?.”

“Merle. Name’s Merle.”

“Sorry. Merle?”

“What?”

“Will you be my friend?”

“Dunno kid.”

“Is that a no?” Tears formed in the child’s eyes and he groaned softly in frustration. Two weeks in and this kid already had him wrapped around his little finer.

“That’s a big ass maybe.”

“Okay.”

The door opened again and he looked up in time to see Daryl enter the room. “Well there ya are, Kay. Come on, ya mom’s lookin’ for ya everywhere.”

“But I don’t wanna…” Caden complained as Daryl lifted him up and guided him out of the room. Caden stayed on the other side of the door, no doubt looking at it in defiance. That kid was stubborn as a mule.

“Whadda ya want, Darlyna?” Merle drawled, looking up at his brother.

“Getting ya some fresh air. Come on, I got Collyn to let ya out for a couple of hours.” Daryl threw back his covers and helped him up. They had unhooked him from the IV last night, claiming he should be ready to manage his pain without the heavy painkillers. Showed what they knew.

“Hell no, Imma look me up the pharmacy and plunder some drugs.” Merle said as he carefully lowered himself down upon his own two legs. The ground under him felt foreign and cold and he was a little dizzy from the sudden change. 

“Like hell ya will. I’ll whoop ya ass if ya try it.” 

“Bring it on bro.” Merle countered. What he hadn’t realized was that he’d been stuck in a bed for two weeks while his brother helped others around the base. He was no match for Daryl, not in this condition and before long his brother had him dressed and prepped for the outside world.

Caden was gone by the time they got out of the room. Collyn or the other chick had probably found him and took him to do some chores or shit. Poor kid, couldn’t be easy to grow up in a world like this. They boy deserved better than that. 

People looked up at them as they made their way outside. Rumors traveled fast and whispers of him being a serial killer went around the base. It wasn’t true but he couldn’t help but feel proud of that rumor. People feared him, a good thing in his opinion. People stay out of your way if they fear you.

He blinked against the morning light and squinted his eyes as he made his first steps outside since his arrival. The sun was bright and warm, creating a blistering heat that affected everyone up top. 

“Look who it is, everyone’s favorite redneck.” Taco Bell called out as he descended from one of the guard towers. The damn Quessilada eater had a huge grin plastered onto his face and seemed to enjoy his little moment of misery. Oh he’d get him when he had the chance.

“Piss off, Nacho. If I wanted ya opinion I’d have asked ya boss.” Merle snapped back. 

Taco Bell didn’t seem fazed by the snide comments he made. If anything the damn Mexican looked more amused. What the hell was wrong with him?

“What’s the matter, redneck? Got outta bed with the wrong hand?” 

“Why ya lill’.” Merle growled, punching the other straight on the nose before Daryl managed to restrain him.

Jones staggered back and checked his nose for bleedings or breaks. Unfortunately the guy was fine aside from the bruise that was forming. The damn Mexican just chuckled and smirked at him. “Not bad, you’ll do well on watch.”

“Bite me, ya Mexican piece of shit.”

“I’m Spanish.”

“Whatever!” He looked on in disbelief as the guy just walked away as if nothing had happened. Who in hells name ever did that?! Nobody was that bat shit crazy, well aside from himself.

He shook his head and followed Daryl to the fence that separated them from the walkers outside. Not that any walker could get close enough to actually reach the fence. They were shot down as soon as they came within a hundred yards from the base.

He sighed softly and looked out to the vast open space within the forest. This place was secluded from the rest of the world. Difficult to find and easy to defend. It wasn’t a miracle that these people survived and thrived here, they’d worked really hard to get here. He respected that and he guessed he should at least respect Collyn for keeping it operational. Didn’t take away the fact that she was a woman and should cook him his dinner every night, though.

 

Daryl found them a place to sit and just watch the world around them go about it’s daily business. It was strange to see something so normal in a post apocalyptic world. Bizarre really. 

“So what do ya think?” Daryl asked, looking at him expectantly.

“About what?” Merle said, raising an eyebrow at his brothers gaze.

“About this place, stupid.”

“Shut up. It ain’t all bad,” He shrugged “Chicks are kinda cute, they got stuff here. We stick ‘round, see what’s up.”

“Yeah, we oughta.” Daryl wiped the sweat off his brow and nodded to Collyn and her blonde friend on the South side of the fence. “Ya like her?”

“Which one?”

“Collyn.”

“She ain’t too bad, I guess.” He shrugged and got up from the log they were sitting on. “Doesn’t mean I’ll bone her.”

“I didn’t say nothin’ ‘bout boning her.” Daryl teased, grinning like a madman as he followed Merle. “Ya really do like her.”

“I don’t. Fuck off.” He bit back, scowling as he walked back inside the bunker. His brother had apparently declared this day as ‘annoy the fuck out of Merle day’, and it pissed him off. One of these days he was gonna dunk Daryl’s head into a shitter and give him a swirly. That oughta teach him a lesson.

“Caden!” A young brunette almost barreled into him if it weren’t for his reflexes. 

“Watch it, bitch!” He snarled but she barely paid him any attention. 

“No time, I gotta find him. He’s gotta be here somewhere.” She rattled as she walked off again. 

The brothers watched her go and blinked as they tried to register what the hell was going on around here. They shared a quick look before going after the girl. She oughta know considering she was screaming her lungs out and running through the halls.

“Hey!” Merle yelled when they finally caught up with the little bitch. “What the fuck is wrong with ya?!” 

Daryl frowned at the girl for a minute. “Kailyn?”

Kailyn sobbed and shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks like it was some frigging waterfall. “It’s Caden.”

The two brothers shared a look, both of them looking quite worried. “What about Caden?” He asked.

“He’s missing.”


	7. All in a name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search for Caden begins and Merle discovers a well kept secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, some of you know I'm doing this story for NaNoWriMo and i'm updating daily because of that. If you spot any plot holes, grammar or spelling mistakes please let me know. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I'll see you tomorrow with the next update.

**Caden**

It was so dark here and he could hear waterdroplets splash down onto the concrete below. It was really scary to walk through these empty halls. He had taken a wrong turn somewhere and he had no idea where he was right now. It was very strange and confusing and all he really wanted right now was his mommy. She’d chase the monsters of the dark away. Mommy always did. He pressed himself against the wall and shuffled onward, one step after another. He shivered as the cool water on the wall seeped into his clothes, making them cling around him.

He heard something scatter past him and he let out a small yelp. What was that? He hoped it wasn’t a monster… He crept forward, one foot after another and carefully peeked around the corner. It was a giant, hairy rat. But like a really big one. It was almost as big as a dog! He looked around, trying to find a weapon he could use. If it attacked him he’d be in big trouble. He picked up a steel pipe and sneaked past the rat, trying to remain in the shadows as much as he could. He sighed in relief and kept going once the rat was behind him..

He didn’t get very far, though…

 

—*—*—

  
**Merle**

He stared at the young girl with disbelief. Missing? The kid was four years old! How could she lose him like that? She should’ve been watching the damn kid in the first place. “Shorty’s gonna kill ya.” He said, not fazed by her little crying show.

“Oh for fucks sake, zip it bitch and get yourself together. Ya got a four year old that’s countin’ on you!”

The girl looked up at him in disbelief and looked at Daryl for support.

“Don’t look at me. I’m with him on this one.” Daryl replied easily.

The girl glared up at them and pulled herself free from Daryl’s grasp. She was still a sobbing mess and almost walked mindlessly into a wall. Man, she had issues. Yeah, losing sight of the kid was an incredibly stupid thing to do. But breaking down like that wouldn’t solve shit. How in hells name had she survived this long?

“Kailyn?” He heard her ask and he turned around to face her. It was Collyn…

This wasn’t gonna be pretty.

The girl turned around and… fucking broke down again. He wasn’t gonna listen to this shit anymore.

“Where you goin’?” His brother asked, walking after him.

“Imma find that kid.” He replied.

“Wait! He’s my son, I’m coming with you.” Collyn came jogging up to him, apparently she’d gotten the news from her sister, and unlike the little crybaby, Collyn managed to keep herself together.

“Fine. Darlyna?,” Daryl looked up at him with a slight nod of his head. “Take her to the other women. I mean, that’s just pathetic.”

“Fine. Come on, Kailyn.” Daryl glared at him as he pulled the crying girl along. “You better wait for me, Merle!”

Collyn looked down with a frown and bit her lip. He could tell she was worried, hell, if it was his kid he’d be worried too. “He’s a tough kid, Cole.”

“I know…” She sighed softly and pulled herself together, looking more determent than ever. “I know. He’s gonna be okay.”

He was pretty sure she was just trying to keep it together and he admired that. Strong woman this one was.

Daryl came running after he dropped off Collyn’s sister and the three of them started their search. “Where could he’ve gone off to?” His younger brother asked, looking at Collyn for an answer.

“He didn’t go up top… We would’ve seen him if he did. He didn’t go to his room or to a friend,” She paused and thought on it “Oh no.”

“That don’t sound good.” Daryl muttered.

“It isn’t. There’s the underground west tunnel system. It stretches on for miles and we haven’t cleared it out yet. We fenced it off but there have been a few kids that gotten through.” Collyn looked at the two brothers, worry etched onto her face as she tried to keep her cool and think things through. “Those tunnels lead to the old weapon storage, it’s basically a giant garage that is linked to the outside world. We closed it off to keep the rats out.”

“Rats? That’s what ya’all call the chompers?” Merle scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“No. We call those zombies. I mean rats, big ass hairy rats that are the size of a cocker spaniel.” Collyn replied.

“Damn.” The brothers muttered simultaneously.

The three pressed on until they arrived at a boarded up hallway. Planks had been hammered onto the concrete walls and it all seemed to be intact. There was no way a small kid like Caden had gotten through.

—*—*—

**Caden**

It was another rat…  
Big, hairy and a terrible temper. Why was it snapping at him? What if it was gonna eat him! He didn’t want to be eaten. He whimpered softly and backed away slowly. But the rat followed him! Silent tears rolled over his cheeks as he tried to get away from the rat. But it kept following him. He hoped his mommy would be here soon, he wanted to go home…

—*—*—

**Collyn**

Collyn carefully checked the planks along the doorway. Gently pulling on them to see if any of them gave way. She gently pulled on the lowest plank and it clattered to the ground at her feet. The plank above it gave way easily and Collyn looked up at the two men.  
“He got in.”

“Maybe he didn’t?” Daryl said, trying to cheer Collyn up a little.

She took her penlight of her belt and used it to look into the darkness of the halls. “He did…” She whispered, crawling through the hole to pick up a set of dog tags. She stood up and showed it to the men. “These are his.”

Merle crawled through the hole, keeping his stump off the ground to keep it clean. He wormed his way through and stood up with some difficulty. “Let’s see…”

“No.” Collyn snapped as she stuffed the dog tags into her pocket.

The brothers shared a look. Daryl had gone through the hole and had joined his brother and Collyn. “You hidin’ somethin’?” Merle asked, taking a step towards Collyn.

She stepped back and shook her head. “Course not.” She quickly replied, she quickly turned around and walked away from the two brothers. She couldn’t give the dog tags to them, it would raise questions she wasn’t ready to answer.

Waterdroplets hit the ground beneath as she slowly prowled the abandoned hallways. Driven forward by her maternal instincts to find her little son. She stopped at a junction and carefully listened for any sounds. She heard Merle and Daryl sneak up behind her but paid them no mind. She had more important things to do.

Merle slowly reached out and carefully pulled the dog tags out of her pocket. Daryl looked over Merle’s shoulder to see what was going on. Both men frowned and quietly whispered amongst themselves while Merl slipped the dog tags into his own pocket.

A scream echoed off the walls and Collyn tried to determine where the sound came from. Merle stormed past her and ran down the halls towards the sound. Collyn and Daryl followed, trying to keep up with the one handed redneck.

“Caden?!” Collyn yelled. What if they were too late? Her little boy couldn’t be dead, he couldn’t. She kept running, the water puddles on the floor announced their arrival early and the rats backed up a few steps to determine whether or not the humans were a threat to him.  
Caden backed up towards the adult, the small steel pipe still in his hand just in case. The rat squeaked and leaped, apparently the animal had decided that an easy prey was worth getting some hits. Caden screamed and whacked the rat right on it’s nose.

“Ha! Take that, loser!” The little boy yelled as the rat backed away quickly.

The animal squeaked in anger, the wack on it’s nose had only pissed off the animal. That couldn’t be good. She quickly snatched up her boy and held him close. “It’s okay sweetie, I got you.”

Merle and Daryl pulled their knives and closed the short distance between them and the rat. The animal snarled and snapped at their ankles.

“Ah fuck. Ya lill’ bitch!” Merle snapped as the animal bit it’s teeth into his calf. The brothers retaliated, stabbing the animal over and over again. Blood splattered everywhere, coating everyone in the warm red liquid. Merle pried the animals jaw open and freed his ankle. Thankfully it wasn’t torn, only damaged by the large puncture wound from it’s teeth.  
The four of them made their way back to the infirmary. Collyn sat Caden on the examination table next to Merle and started cleaning them both up a little.

“Imma take a shower, I’ll be back soon.” Daryl said before leaving the room.

Collyn gathered some lukewarm water in a bucket and cleaned up Merle’s leg with a cloth. She carefully washed his wounds to get all the dirt out, freezing when she heard Merle’s question.

“Why is my name on his dog tags?”


	8. The truth will set you free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is the first chapter of today's update, another chapter will follow sometime tonight. Hope you guys enjoy it and as always, let me know if their's room for improvement or if you noticed a plothole. See you guys later.

She looked at him for a moment or two, her heart pounding in her chest so hard that she could only hear it thundering. She licked her dry lips in an attempt to keep them moist, her mouth went dry and the wheels in her head were running a mile per minute.  
“It isn’t.” She said, clearing her throat as she continued to wash his leg. “You’re not the only Merle in the world.”

“Bullshit.” Merle answered. “Ya wouldn’t have hidden it from me if that’s the case.” He flinched and tried to pull his leg from her hold. “Watch it, bitch.” He growled in frustration.

She didn’t say anything, but she made her displeasure known. She handled his wound with roughness, scrubbing the wound clean before wrapping it with a bandage. “Ask Stevens for a rabies shot. I’m done.” She bit back, picking up Caden to leave the room.

“Answer me, dammit!”

She stopped in the doorway, “He doesn’t have a father,” She said calmly and left the room. He doesn’t have to know and she’s not gonna tell him. For now at least. She walked to her room, one she shared with Caden and Kailyn to get them both cleaned up.

“Mommy?”

Collyn closed her eyes and sighed before giving her son a kind smile. “Yes sweetie?”

“Is Merle mad at me?”

“No honey, he’s not mad at you.”

“Then why’s he angry?”

“Merle’s a little grumpy today. Don’t worry about it, okay?”

“Okay…” Caden replied softly and nodded even though it was clear he was still sad. The poor child was most likely traumatized after what happened today, and all she really wanted to do was clean them up and get Caden into bed.

She got the two of them cleaned up, dried off and into pajama’s within an hour and carried her little boy to the queen sized bed on the other side of room. “Let’s get you some pull ups and then I’ll read you a story. Okay?”

“Okay.” Caden agreed and for once her little boy didn’t fuss or complain about the pull ups he had to wear. She didn’t want any accidents in her bed.

She tucked him in and laid down next to him so he could cuddle up against her.

“Mommy?”

“Hmm?” She hummed, stroking his hair.

“Can you tell story of Norah?”

“You want to hear Norah’s story again?”

“Yes!”

“Alright, well once upon a time…”

—**— —**— —**— —**—  
There was a girl named Norah. She lived in a house with her parents and her two younger siblings and they were very happy. She went to school and had friends and she just an ordinary little girl. She was just like every other little girl in her hometown. But one day she met a boy, he was just a few years older and everybody called him Jones. But his real name was Emilio.

Emilio and Norah grew up together in the same town and they were the best of friends. But one day, when both of them had grown tall and strong, Norah moved away to a large city named Savannah. To go to a really big school with a lot of people and for awhile, Norah was happy.

Then one night, when thunder and lightening argued in the sky. Norah got a phone call. Norah’s mother and father had died in an accident and went to heaven. And suddenly, Norah had to watch over her younger brother and younger sister.

Norah became really sad and started drinking grown up drinks to forget her pain. But that didn’t work and she had to learn how to protect her family. It wasn’t easy for Norah, she wasn’t used to being a mother or even a bigger sister. So one day a woman came to visit Norah and her siblings, she told Norah that she had to get it together and be a good sister. So Norah got help and worked really hard. And that’s how she became a good sister.

Things were getting better again until one night when her little sister got hurt. Instead of staying home with her sister, Norah went away. She ran to a little mountain town because she wanted to find her friend. She found a prince instead, a good prince and someone that could be good for her.

But Norah didn’t stay and went back to her family. She knew she had done a bad thing by leaving and she apologized for that. So Norah graduated from the big school and supported her family by working hard. She became a good sister again, making sure her brother and sister were safe and sound.

And then nine months after she met the prince, she was blessed with a little baby boy. He was the most beautiful thing she ever had in her life and she loved him with all of her heart. And for the first time in a very long time her family was whole again. Her family was a family filled with love and devotion.

—**— —**——**——**—  
Collyn looked down and smiled as she looked down at the sleeping child in her arms. She gently placed a kiss on his forehead and softly stroked his hair as he slept on. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent, reminding herself that he really was there with her.

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts and she carefully untangled herself from Caden’s hold. “I’ll be right back, sweetie.” She whispered to him, kissing his forehead.

She opened the door and froze, trying to keep herself calm and collected. “What do you want?” She snapped once she regained herself. She wouldn’t admit it but the man in front of her scared her at times, she certainly didn’t want to test his limits. But she wasn’t gonna be bullied into submission either.

“I want an answer.” Merle said, as he leaned against the door frame. He was trying to be calm about it all, she could see that. But he looked mighty pissed and that didn’t bode well for her.

“I gave you one.”

“No ya didn’t. I want the truth.”

She looked away for half a minute before looking back up at him. “Is it gonna change anything?”

He chuckled and took a step forward. “No,” He smirked “I ain’t father material, we both know that. But…”

“But what?”

“But he’s still mine, he’s a Dixon. So I’ll keep an eye on him when ya can’t. Lord knows we can’t trust your lill’ sis.”

“Don’t say that about her.” She snapped, glaring up at Merle. But the larger man just laughed at her and ignored her.

“I’ll say what I want. So he’s mine?”

She sighed and nodded in defeat. It was no use keeping up a facade if he already figured out the truth. “Yes.”

“Hmm.” Merle hummed. He backed up a few steps and nodded. “Ya can drop him off when you got that meeting tomorrow. That’s only form of support you’ll get.”

“I hadn’t expected anything else from you.”

“Good. So we’re clear?”

“Yes.”

Merle turned around and disappeared into the darkness of the halls. Collyn fell back against the door post, her head buried in her hands as she tried to keep her emotions under control. She didn’t sob or let out a sound, just one single tear rolled down her cheek as she slid down and sat on the floor. She took a few deep breaths and stood back up after a few minutes. She had a son to look after.

—**— —**——**——**—  
The next morning brought both dread and relief for her as she got her son dressed and ready to spend a day with Merle and Daryl. It was terrifying to let Caden go with the brothers and yet she knew it was for the best. After what had happened yesterday she didn’t really trust her sister to watch him. Kailyn was a good kid, don’t get her wrong. But she could be a bit of an airhead.

“You be good today, okay?” She said as she tied up Caden’s shoelaces.

“Okay.” Caden murmured. She picked him up and carried him to the Merle’s and Daryl’s room two halls down.

“That’s my boy.” She muttered, kissing her sons cheek before knocking on the door.

Daryl opened the door and nodded at her before addressing Caden. “You ready, buddy?” He asked, smiling when Caden nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes!”

“Alright, why don’t ya go in and say hi to Merle?” Daryl stepped aside to let the little boy in.  
“I’ll watch ‘em.” He promised her.

“Thank you, Daryl. Let me know if things go sour. I’ll pick him up before dinner.” She let out a deep sigh and slowly backed up with a heavy heart. She was worried about what would happen to Caden, but she trusted Daryl and as long as he was there, Caden would be fine. He had to be.

Daryl closed the door once she left the hallway. Caden was alone with the Dixon’s now and she prayed it would go well.

It had to…


	9. One of us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caden spends the day with the Dixon brothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the second update of today. Tomorrow there will only be one chapter as usual. Hope you guys enjoy it and I'll see you guys tomorrow.

Merle:  
“Merle! Merle!” Merle looked up from his book and chuckled at the sight of Caden running towards him. The kid apparently hadn’t learned not to run while indoors as he tripped and fell face first over his own two feet. Both brothers flinched at the sight and Merle braced himself for the bawling that followed… But it never came, the kid blinked and slowly crawled back on his feet. The only sound that left his mouth were whimpers of pain.

“Ouch.” Caden moaned, looking up at Daryl and Merle for comfort. “Hurts.” He added.

Daryl took pity on the boy and gently lifted Caden up. “Where’s it hurt?” He asked gently, trying to get a better look at Caden’s face. He gently pressed the area’s around Caden’s nose and cheekbones. Caden bravely endured it with the occasional whimper, trying to hold back tears. “It’s okay, buddy. Come on.” Daryl let Caden cuddle up to him for a minute or two before passing him to Merle. “Watch him for a couple minutes, I’m gonna get some ice for that.”

Before he could answer his little brother was already gone, leaving him with the kid. The child, Caden, he reminded himself, Caden looked up at him and cuddled up against him. This was not what he signed up for. But it probably came with the responsibility of being a father. Lucky him…

His brother returned with some ice and they used it to reduce the swelling on Caden’s face. The little boy faced it bravely with only the occasional sob coming from the little tyke.  
“Tough one, right here.” Daryl remarked as he took the ice packet back from Caden. The little boy had recovered from his clumsy little accident and was now looking around in interest.

“What’s that?” The little boy asked, pointing at Daryl’s crossbow and his riffle.

“Somethin’ you’re not allowed to touch.” Merle drawled as he got up, setting Caden down next to the chair.

“Oh… Why?”

“’Cause I say so.” Merle grumbled. Why in hells name was this kid his? He never felt so lost before, not even when he was completely depended on Meth. How was he supposed to take care of this kid? The kid was here for twenty minutes and he’d already gotten hurt. Maybe going out for a walk or something would keep the child busy.

“What’s that?” Caden asked as he pulled one of the heavier books from the shelf.

“Don’t touch that!” Merle snapped, placing it back on the shelf. He had to take a deep breath to calm down before he turned to the child once more.

“Now listen here boy, we’re gonna go topside. And you will stay close and behave.”

Caden nodded, wide eyes looking up at Merle in shock. People probably didn’t snap at the boy like he had. But at least the message had gotten through. Don’t touch something that isn’t yours.

He guided the little boy out the door and up top, Daryl following behind him. “This ain’t too bad.” He remarked as he watched Caden run towards a dandelion in the grass.

“Not yet.” Daryl replied, sauntering behind him.

“What’s that mean?”

“That it’ll get harder. He’s a boy, not a dog.”

“Ya think I don’t know that?”

“I don’t think ya realize what kind of sacrifice you gotta make for kids.”

“Lay off, Darlyna. He’s fine, he’s happy and he’s fascinated with a friggin’ flower.”

“Let ‘im.”

“And let him become a fuckin’ pansy?”

“He ain’t a pansy. Look at him, he fell flat on his face and didn’t even cry. He’s a tough kid, Merle. Just let him look at the damn flower.”

Merle grumbled something unintelligible under his breath, he didn’t like this one bit.  
“Merle! Merle!” Caden called out and the four year old came running over with something in his hand.

“What ya got there?” He asked as he kneeled down to Caden’s level.

“Look!” The little boy exclaimed as he opened his hand to reveal a bumblebee.

“Careful, it might sting ya.”

“No it won’t. He’s my friend.” Caden replied, proudly showing off the bumblebee to Daryl.  
“Makin’ friends with dangerous animals, ya really are a Dixon, kiddo.” Daryl said as he walked up to the little boy and ruffled his hair.

“My last name is Daniels.” Caden corrected automatically, looking rather confused by Daryl’s choice of words.

The bumblebee spread it’s tiny little insect wings and flew off much to Caden’s disappointment. “Where’s he going?” He asked, pouting slightly as he watched his new found friend fly away.

“Who knows.” Daryl shrugged, making his way to one of the guard towers.

“Merle?”

“Hmm?” Merle looked back down at the little four year old. “What?”

“Can I stay with you tonight?”

He blinked a few times to register what the boy was saying. “Why?”

“Because you gotta read me a story!” Caden laughed, acting like it was the most obvious thing to do in this entire world.

“I ain’t reading ya a story, kid. Ya got your mom to do that.” He drawled, rolling his eyes when the little boy pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.

“You a meany!”

“You’ve seen nothin’ yet kid.” He replied easily, walking around the fence of the inner perimeter.

“But I’m bored. I wanna play a game. Please?” Caden begged, eyes wide and hopeful as he stared up at his father.

Merle sighed in defeat and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. You got five seconds.”

Caden blinked a few times, not really understanding what was going on.

“Well ya gotta run!” Merle instructed, chuckling when Caden took off giggling.

—**— —**——**——**——**—

Caden:

He ran as hard as he could, panting when he reached the other side of the inner perimeter. He looked around and tried to find Merle. Where did he go? He scowled and stalked off to one of the guard towers. Perhaps he could find Daryl and ask him to play with him.  
He ran towards the next guard tower, his feet pounding on the grass and wind whipping past him as he ran. He kept running and running and…

Suddenly he was up in the air and he screamed in terror before he finally saw what had swooped him off his feet. It was Merle! His screams of fear changed to laughter as Merle carried him to Daryl. His legs and arms were dangling off the ground and he could see the grass rolling by as Merle’s long legs quickly closed the distance.

“Look what I caught.” Merle said as he shook him a little. He let out delighted squeals and laughter as Merle held him securely. He wasn’t scared that Merle would drop him. His left arm was really strong!

“Merle! Put me down!” He yelled as he tried to squirm out of Merle’s grasp. Merle gently lowered him onto the ground and tickled him for good measure. Hanging out with Merle was so much fun. He wondered why mommy hadn’t let him spend time with Merle before.  
Sure, Merle was a little grumpy but he meant well. Even if he was a little scary at times. He just hoped he could hang out with Merle and Daryl more often.

—**— —**——**——**——**—

Merle:  
He looked down at the laughing child at his feet and couldn’t help but smile at it. Sure the boy annoyed him a lot but… he wasn’t bad either. He supposed that he could at least give the child a chance to get to know him. He helped the kid up and picked him up to hold him for a few moments.

It was the third time in his life he was loved unconditionally, by someone that expected nothing in return. Only his mother and Daryl had ever done that before. And now this little guy liked him too. The little boy wrapped his arms around his neck and laid his head on Merle’s shoulder.

His lip curled up into a tiny little smile as he looked at the snoozing child in his arm. “He ain’t too bad when he’s quiet.” He muttered as he gently adjusted his hold on the little tyke.

“He’s growin’ on ya, isn’t he?” Daryl replied, clearly amused at his change of heart.

He shrugged but smiled when Caden whimpered softly at the disturbance. “Guess he is.” He muttered as he slowly made his way back inside.

The two brothers returned to their room and Merle slowly sank back into his chair, readjusting Caden so the boy was sitting on his lap. The little boy slept on soundly and laid a hand on his father’s chest. It stirred feelings in him that were foreign and strange, things he’d never felt before. His brother looked at him and the kid and he could make out the smile on his baby bro’s face when he looked up. The brothers shared a knowing look before resting their gaze on the child once again.

Caden really was a Dixon, no matter what anyone else thought. Caden was one of them.


	10. Hunters, bandits and a sheriff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merle and Daryl teach some kids tracking skills and run into a group of old acquaintances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's today's update! I hope you guys enjoy this, the plot thickens from this point on, so stay tuned as we close Act 1 (first ten chapters) and go on to Act 2. There are three Acts in total and each act has a problem that has to be worked through. Obviously the first was Caden's parentage, although the set ups for Act 2 and 3 are also there as subplots in Act 1, they'll become really important later in the story.
> 
> So comment, like, subscribe or vote if you enjoyed it or have a tip to improve the story, let me know! Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys tomorrow.

Summer made way for autumn, changing the landscape around them to hues of orange and yellow. Leaves crunched underneath his feet as he walked to the edge of the clearing, just outside the tree line of the surrounding forest. He stopped at the tree line and turned around to check on his brother and their three little charges. Two boys of about twelve years old had been handpicked by Collyn to receive their first lesson. The third was little Caden. Merle had managed to convince Collyn that Caden could use lessons himself. After all, the more hunters and protectors a group had, the safer they would be. And they wouldn’t go hungry anytime soon.

“You’re an idiot.” One of the teenage boys drawled to his twin brother. The two boys were pulling and pushing each other around, much to Merle’s annoyance.

“Shut up, both of you!” Merle snapped at the boys, glaring as the two teenagers fell silent and straightened out. “Behave ya selves for a couple minutes, you got skills to learn.”

Daryl walked up next to him and stopped at his side. His brother sighed and looked down for a second or two. “These two are hopeless.” Darlyna muttered and he couldn’t help but agree.

Caden came up to him and sought out the safety of his legs almost immediately. The small arms wrapped around his right leg and cuddled up close while the little boy stared into the forest trees. “What are we dooing?”

He looked down and chuckled at the little boy meeting his gaze. “We gonna find ourselves some ‘coons and squirrels. Learn you boys to track and hunt. Ya up for that, sport?”

Caden nodded enthusiastically and slowly let go of his father’s leg. Merle guided Caden along as they entered the forest while Daryl guided the twins along. He stopped when he spotted a small trail, most likely made by a couple of raccoons. “C’mhere. Tell me, Kay. Whatcha seeing right here?”

“Uhm…” Caden paused as he tried to focus on the forest floor. “Leaves and sticks?” He asked, speaking very slow and without any confidence.

“Yeah, see that too. Here, watch. See these paws on the ground and those broken twigs?” Merle pointed out the tracks on the ground and the scrubs that were broken.

“Yeah.” Caden replied looking at everything in great interest.

“That’s coon tracks. They went through here.”

“How can you tell?”

“By the prints in the ground and the disturbed and broken twigs and leaves. Come on, we’ll go track this coon and Darlyna over there can teach the twins how to track.” Merle pointed up ahead and slowly made his way along the raccoons trail, Caden following right behind him.

The little boy struggled to keep his child sized compound bow on his back as they tracked through the forest. Merle couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched the boy fiddle and struggle with the damn thing. But it was a good thing Caden had a bow like that. The child may only be four and a half, but he was growing up in a world filled with danger. He was gonna need that bow later on.

He heard the groaning of a walker before he could see one but immediately pulled Caden down into the scrubs. “Shhh.” He instructed, placing a finger against the child’s lips to keep him quiet. Merle slowly stalked towards the groaning, walking corpse and stayed low to avoid detection.

An arrow soared through the air and embedded itself in the creatures skull before he could attack it himself. He narrowed his eyes and carefully took in his surroundings to find Daryl, only to find out Daryl was just twenty yards from him. His brother was crouching down, shielding the twins from the freshly killed walker. He checked behind him and saw Caden looking at him, fear apparent in his eyes.

He nodded at the child in an attempt to offer some form of comfort and focused his gaze back onto the trees ahead. There was movement between them and he detected several humans coming their way. If they got up now and moved they would be detected soon enough. The best thing to do was stay quiet and stay down, to avoid detection above all else.

Voices drifted closer and the brothers shared a look with a slight nod of the head. They’d stay put until the strangers had come into their direct range, only then would they rise up and take them out. Anything else was to dangerous with the kids behind them and all.  
Caden pressed himself flat against Merle’s back, he could feel the little boy shaking in fear and he tried to calm the child as best as he could in this situation.

The strangers finally came into range and Merle’s mouth fell open. He shared a quick look with Daryl and saw a similar look of surprise on his brother’s face. What the hell were they doing here? He resisted the urge to just jump up and announce their presence. He couldn’t trust these people. He wouldn’t endanger Caden just to get his revenge. Caden was far more important to him.

The little leader of the group stopped just ten yards from his hiding place and seemed to be looking around. Merle looked at Daryl and calculated out their chances of staying undetected for much longer. The brothers nodded at each other as the other group pointed their weapons in their hiding places and they slowly rose to their feet with their hands up in surrender. “Well, well, well. If it ain’t officer friendly and his merry band of bandits.” Merle drawled once he and Daryl had come out of hiding.

The group turned to face them, almost all of them wore similar expressions of pure shock. And if it wasn’t so damn dangerous to make too much noise he’d have laughed at their dopey expressions. “Merle? Daryl?” Andrea said as she came up to them and just stared at them, it was getting rather annoying, actually.

“No Blondie, we’re Santa and his damn elf.” Merle drawled sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. Caden slowly stood up and clung to his leg as he studied the strangers from the safety of Merle’s giant form.

“Wait, but if you’re here, with kids… that means your friends camp is nearby, right?” Sheriff Rick asked looking at him and Daryl with a strange desperation in his eyes. He didn’t know what these guys had been through in the last couple of months but he had a feeling it wasn’t the same safety and luxury that they’d had.

“What if it is?” Daryl asked as he closed the distance between himself and the little wife robber. Why that guy was still in the group was a mystery to him, especially since he just held that crazy vibe in his eyes and entire persona.

“Can we join you? Lori’s pregnant and the baby… We got our own medical staff, Hershell is a vet and we can help with other stuff.” Rick tried reasoning with Daryl, probably because they figured he’d be easier to persuade. Thing was, they probably were right on that one. His bro could be a little sap when it came to baby’s and young kids. And officer friendly and his group? They had that boy of his and the little girl from that mouse and the abuser with them. Daryl would cave and hard.

“Well, I…-” Daryl started.

“It ain’t up to him!” Merle interrupted the group, not intimidated in the slightest by these bozo’s.

“Now you listen here, you-.” The fucking asshole started, the little wife robber needed to know his place and shut the hell up in his opinion.

“Shut it, ya lill’ piece of shit. And back the hell off before I kill ya.” Merle snapped, showing off his prosthetic with his trusted knife taped to it. He held it up right in Shane’s face to teach the damn asshole some boundaries.

Caden let out a little hiccup and a soft sob as he pressed closer and tightened his hold on Merle’s leg. He relaxed a little and gently laid his elbow on the little boys head in comfort. “It’s alright, sport. I ain’t gonna let him hurt you.”

Caden nodded bravely and wiped his tears away, straightening up a little despite his obvious fear. “K-K-Kay.”

Merle looked at his brother and two nodded before looking back at Rick and his bitch. “It ain’t up to us. Collyn will decide if you can join or not.” He told them before picking up the terrified Caden. “You can come along up to the gate, after that ya’all will have to await Collyn’s judgment.”

The little boy buried his face into Merle’s neck and hugged him tight. He didn’t like Shane at all it seemed. His son had great judgment of character already it seemed. Clever little thing he was and he couldn’t help but feel a little pride at that.

Daryl gently guided the twins to walk in front of him and the two brothers started the short track back to base with the Atlanta group on their left. The tower guards were on alert immediately, calling out for reinforcement and Collyn.

Emilio yelled at them to stand down when he spotted the Dixon brother and the kids on the groups right and signaled his men to take them inside for protection. The gate opened for the brothers while the watchmen kept the Atlanta group outside the fence for security reasons.  
The bunker door opened again and a lonely figure emerged from it’s depths…

It was Collyn.


	11. Law & Order

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's todays update ^^. The plot's thickening from this point on, lots of things are gonna happen. Smut and stuff coming up. So stay tuned!

The first thing she noticed as she stepped into the burning sunlight was Merle holding a distraught Caden. Protective instincts flared up within her as she slowly approached the gate. Whoever they were, they had upset her son and she wasn’t gonna let them in unless they had a really good reason to seek shelter.

She kept her head up and made herself as tall as she could as she walked up to them, still behind the safety of the fence. “Who are you?” She asked, looking the group over to check it’s members. There were children, an old man, women and a pregnant woman in it. She didn’t mind them, they probably wouldn’t cause trouble if she let them in. But those men… she didn’t trust them one bit.

“My name’s Rick Grimes, this is my wife Lori and my son Carl. Our group is looking for shelter, ‘cause my wife’s pregnant and due any day now. Please, we have our own doctor and we can help with things out here.” One of the men spoke up. Collyn stared at him long and hard as if she was trying to look into his very soul. She simply didn’t trust this guy or his little friend. The guy behind him had a crazy look in his eyes that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the mere sight of him.

“Let me be honest with you, Rick Grimes.” She stated, voice strong and steady. “I don’t trust you or your little friend.”

“You can’t just let us die out here!” Shane interrupted, earning a hard glare from Collyn and five loaded guns ready to turn him into zombie bait if he stepped another toe out of line. Shane looked at the guns and slowly backed up with his hands in the air. So the man wasn’t stupid… Which was all the more dangerous.

“But… I’m not a killer. You and your men can set up camp within the defense perimeter. You will have protection from our watchmen and we’ll bring you food three times a day. Your women, children and the old man will be allowed inside. We’ll give them rooms, food and medical attention. That is my offer, and it’s the only one you’ll get.”

Collyn let her gaze roam over the other members of the group, they looked at her in hope. They were grateful for what was offered and were ready to jump at the chance of establishing a peaceful life within their walls. Well, all of them aside from the woman Lori. She seemed reluctant to leave her husband and while Collyn could understand that, she wasn’t gonna change her offer.

Rick watched the group as well and seemed to make a decision based on the looks they send back at him. “How long do we have to stay outside?” He asked and the other men looked at her for an answer.

“At least three weeks.” She replied. A few of the women nodded in understanding, they obviously didn’t have a problem with that, but Lori still seemed reluctant. If the pregnant woman wanted to stay outside the fence that was fine by her. She had offered help, it was up to the other group to take it. “After three weeks we’ll evaluate your integrity, if you pass you can come inside. If you don’t pass we’re gonna have to ask you to leave.”

“We’ll take it.” Rick answered despite Shane and Lori’s protests. The former sheriff stepped back and asked his men to do the same. Shane didn’t back down and stood his ground in front of the gate. The group looked at the man in disbelief and argued with him to stand down.

Collyn had seen enough. She pulled her glock from it’s holster, took the safety off and pointed it right between the man’s eyes. “Back off.” She spoke clearly, glaring as the man slowly backed up.

She lowered her gun once Shane had cleared the way in front of the gate and nodded for her men to open the gate. She smiled politely at the women that tentatively entered their base and gently guided them to their medical staff to be checked for bite marks and other injuries. One of the women came up to her, her short and spiky grey hair stood out amongst the others. But it was her kind nature that Collyn liked the most. “Thank you.” The woman shook her hand gratefully before guiding her little girl to the doctors.

Lori and Carl were the last two to enter their base and the gate closed behind them, after Collyn’s men had given the remaining members of the group tents and other camping supplies to camp out during the upcoming three weeks. Firearms were taken from the men, but they allowed them to carry their knives for self defense purposes. They weren’t unreasonable after all.

She walked back after the gate was closed and locked, going straight to Merle and Caden. She could feel the new group of women watching her as she took Caden from his father and softly spoke to him to calm him down. Merle looked at her intently and for some reason it gave her goosebumps and it created a pleasant tingle under her skin.

She broke eye contact and dismissed it. She didn’t know him very well and had mostly seen his bad side but somehow seeing him with Caden… well, she didn’t want to dwell on those feelings too much.

She gave him a small smile in return and carried Caden back inside, stopping when Caden started reaching out for his father. She sighed and looked over her shoulder to see Merle following them. She kept walking until she reached the living area and found Kailyn. “Kailyn? Could you go up top and help out the women and children we just took in? I think two of them are around your age.”

“Sure.” Kailyn answered, practically skipping as she went up top as requested. The blonde girl from the other group could become a good friend if the chemistry was right. She certainly seemed to be around Kailyn’s age.

Collyn watched her go before walking back to her room with Caden in her arms. Merle followed them and initially she wanted to send him away. But Caden was still reaching out to him and for once Merle actually seemed… well, not that bad actually. So she walked in and held the door open for him. Merle was pretty surprised by that move, she could easily see it in his eyes and he was quick to accept it.

Having him so close made her nervous and she silently berated herself for it. He shouldn’t affect her like that, he was a giant douche! She quickly averted her eyes and looked at her little boy, giving him a small smile in return.

Merle took off his prosthetic and placed it on the table, flexing his remaining arm to loosen it up a little. “Ya didn’t have to do that. You know.” He said as he came up behind her.

“I know.” She replied, trying to keep herself in check. She could feel his body heat radiate off of him in waves but she bravely resisted the temptation to lean back into it. She couldn’t do that.

“Kinda stupid, actually. You know nothin’ ‘bout them.”

“I believe their women and children should at least get a chance. If one of them cross a toe out of line, they’re outside.”

“Hmm. Hope ya know what ya doin’.” Merle murmured as he gently ran his hand through Caden’s hair.

“Me too.” Collyn admitted softly, looking up at him again. He leaned in closer and pulled her closer, their lips inches from one another-.

“Collyn.” Callie called out from the other side of the door and Collyn quickly stepped away from Merle.

“Coming.” She replied, gently lowering Caden to the ground so she had both hands free. Merle frowned at her and watched her go, he was obviously just a little confused as to what had happened just a minute ago.

She opened the door and gave Callie a quick smile. Her friend raised an eyebrow when Merle appeared in the doorway behind her. “Did I interrupt something?” Callie teased, looking from Collyn to Merle with great interest.

“No-” Collyn began while Merle confirmed an interruption. “Well, I- Kinda.” Collyn corrected after half a minute.

“What is it? ‘S the little whore causin’ trouble again?” Merle sneered, earning an elbow to his ribs from Collyn.

“Play nice.” She hissed.

“What, ‘s true. Lori fucked Shane and now she’s carrying his baby.”

“… Really?” Collyn asked.

“Ooh yeah, those two were at it like a couple of rabbits.” Merle smirked, laying his left hand on Collyn’s hip.

“Yeah, actually. She’s demanding her husband’s let into the perimeter.” Callie confirmed, looking a little guilty for the interruption.

“I’ll be right there, keep her busy for a few minutes.” Collyn requested and Callie took her leave.

She turned to face Merle and ask him to leave but she never got the chance. His lips crashed onto hers and for a minute she surrendered to him and just enjoyed it. She pushed him away soon enough and stepped back. “I can’t.” She whispered and she quickly left the room.

She heard him call out to her but for now she ignored it. She had a pregnant woman to calm down. When she returned up top minor chaos met her as several people tried to calm the pregnant Lori. Collyn sighed and squared her shoulders as she met the screaming woman head on.

“YOU LET ME GO RIGHT NOW! I WANT MY HUSBAND!”

Collyn had heard enough of this. “ENOUGH!” She thundered and all activity around her seized as everyone stared at her in shock. Even Merle, who had come up right after her was keeping his distance from the usual kind and collected Collyn.

“You want your husband? Fine, step out the gate and you’ll be reunited.” She spat at the other woman. She didn’t like her, she just didn’t.

“You can’t send me out there, I’m pregnant.” Lori argued but Collyn shut her up real quick.

“Watch me. I can and I will if you don’t shut up and do as you’re told. You either accept my rules or stay out of my base, no highway option. So what’s it gonna be doll face?”

Lori sneered at her but quietly sat back down on the wooden bench she occupied earlier.  
Collyn turned around and walked up to Callie, leaving her some instructions before going below to find Caden. Merle stopped her on her way down and smirked when he cornered her in the little hallway. “Come on darlin’, how ‘bout you and I do a little horizontal tango?” He murmured into her ear, making her shiver.

“How about no.” She replied, pushing him off once again. She didn’t think that it would be such a good idea to jump right into something. That’s what got her into trouble last time.

“What? Can’t blame me for tryin’. Ya did return that kiss earlier.”

“That was just a kiss. I mean, you don’t know me and I don’t know you. This isn’t gonna work”

“You don’t know that. You might like what ya find.”

“So what? You want a date?”

“If that’s what it takes to get ya in the end.”

Collyn stared at him long and hard but she couldn’t detect any maliciousness in his tone or eyes. He was sincere for once, a side she hadn’t seen yet. And she kinda liked it. “Ok.” She agreed softly. “One date.”


	12. Cirlcle of life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun! *dramatic chipmunk*
> 
> I hope you guys like this chapter, if you enjoyed it please vote, subscribe, comment/review. So the question is, who's gonna take in Carl and his little sister. What do you guys think?

Three weeks went by fast, almost too fast in her opinion. Callie and Daryl were getting closer, just hanging out and doing some impromptu sparring. Herself and Merle though…  
Well let’s just say she still hadn’t had that date. Not that dating was high on her priority list but it would’ve made a nice distraction to go hunting or fishing together.

The Atlanta group had settled in nicely for the most part. Andrea and Amy had found their place among them quickly, just naturally blending in a larger community like their own. Maggie, Beth and Hershell had blended in as well. Almost seamlessly with their previous farming experience. The fact that Hershell was an actual vet was a godsend for their base. Only paramedics, surgeons and regular doctors had been with them until Hershell. And finally they could tend to their animals properly.

Beth, Amy and Kailyn were seen together almost all the time, the three of them had become fast friends and found a lot of support in one another. Carol and her daughter were doing good so far. The older mother had made a few friends in Daryl, Callie and herself.  
Lori and Carl though…

They just wouldn’t settle down. She let them out to see their family every single day as promised, but it wasn’t enough for them it seemed. She was on high alert around them just to play it safe.

Today was a big day for the base though. Today was the day those men would be allowed within their perimeter. She didn’t trust Rick or Shane but she was a woman of her word, and she would keep it.

“Ya know, we could just leave ‘em out there.” Merle drawled as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on top of hers. “Mm? Whadda ya say, darlin’?”

“You know I can’t do that.” She replied easily, gently untangling herself from him.  
“Not even for ya baby daddy?” He smirked, looking all smug. She sighed and shook her head gently pushing him away.

“Especially not for my baby’s daddy.” She drawled, winking at him before going topside.  
The little group was already waiting just outside the gate as she walked up to it. “Rick Grimes?” She called out, waiting for Rick to step forward.

“Yes?” The man showed himself, arms out wide to show he was unarmed and meant no harm.

“You and your group have been here for three weeks. During that time you and your companions have caused a few minor problems. But not enough to send you all away. Therefore it’s the decision of our council…” She paused and let her eyes roam over the other four men next to him. “That you will be allowed to stay. Under the condition that you will surrender all weapons to our armory and that you will live by the rules of our community. Failure to comply results in eviction, betrayal will result in death. Do you understand the terms and conditions laid out before you?”

Rick nodded and looked straight at her. “We understand and we’ll comply.”

She watched him for a few more minutes before nodding at the watchmen. “Open the gate.”

Without the safety of the gate Collyn was on high alert. Grimes walked up to her and extended a hand in greeting. She looked at it for a few seconds before taking it. “Collyn.” She said with a short shake of her hand. “You can hand your knives to the guards. You won’t be needing them inside.” She instructed, smiling when the dark skinned guy, the Chinese guy and an older man did as asked. The guy named Shane however…

“I’m not giving you my weapon.” Shane ranted, pulling his knife out of it’s case.

“Put that thing away!” Rick and Collyn snapped at the same time. Neither of them was willing to cause a scene or fight amongst themselves. But if she had to, she would throw this Shane dude outside the camp without batting an eye.

“Like hell, lady. From now on, you’re gonna do things my way.” Shane growled as he stalked towards her. Collyn pulled her gun and aimed it between the mans eyes.

“Put the weapon down, now.”She warned, taking the safety off her gun just in case.  
Shane however wasn’t gonna listen and he lurched forward to grab her. She could see Rick trying to grab Shane and she saw Merle running for her from the corner of her eye. She pointed her gun down and aimed for the mans knees.

Gunshots rang through the air and Shane fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding knees. Collyn sneered and kicked the knife away from the little piece of shit. “Take him outside, into the woods and leave him there.” She commanded one of the watchmen.

“You can’t do that!” Lori exclaimed as she tried to reach Shane but Merle and Daryl held her back.

“Please reconsider.” Rick pleaded with her but she wasn’t impressed.

“I warned you what would happen. An attack like that is betrayal, I can’t have untrustworthy people in this base.” She turned on her heel and nodded to Emilio to carry out the order. She had a base to protect, she had a duty to her people.

Two of the watchmen picked up Shane by his arms and started dragging him to the gate.  
She felt the cold steel against her throat and she struggled in the mans hold for a moment or two before relaxing. “I’ll have your head for this…” She growled.

“I can’t let you do this…” Rick said, his tone apologetic and full of remorse but it did little to quell her anger.

She struggled in his hold, the knife drew Little droplets of blood when he pressed it closer to her neck. She breathed slowly, in and out to calm herself.

“Alright, now let’s calm down and think this through. Nobody has to get hurt.”

She took another deep breath and threw herself back with some force, her hands clutched Rick’s wrists to keep the knife away from her neck as they crashed into one of the towers. She ducked under his arms and turned, holding him at gun point. “You just made a terrible mistake.” She sneered, aiming at the spot between his eyes. “Get out.”

When the man didn’t move she placed her finger on the trigger. “Get out.” She commanded.  
Dale took Merle’s place in restraining Lori while Glenn kept his hold on Carl as Merle walked over to Collyn and Rick, raising his rifle against Rick’s temple. “Ya heard the lady.”

Rick finally obeyed and followed the watchmen and Shane out the gate and across the perimeter. The watchmen dropped Shane a few yards into the tree line and left him there. Collyn raised her gun and pulled the trigger. The world seemed to slow down and for a few minutes nobody moved. The bullet whizzed right past Rick’s ear, missing him by just an inch and lodged itself in a nearby tree. “Consider that a warning.” She said before walking away.  
Merle followed her back to base.

The former Atlanta group looked quite shaken and shocked at her actions. She didn’t want to do this, but Rick and Shane had left her no choice. She had to protect the base from anything and anyone that threatened their community. “Your companions Rick and Shane have been banished into the woods. They committed treason and we do not take kindly to it,” She raised her voice so everybody could hear it. “They are alive for now. Anyone that would like to join them is welcome to do so.”

“MURDERER!” Lori screamed and ranted as she struggled to break free. She collapsed during one of her rants, clutching her abdomen. She’d gone into a distressed labor.

Collyn kept her head cool as she coordinated the chaos around her. The Atlanta survivors were throwing a fit, panicking over the distress of the pregnant woman.

“Stevens, Hershell get your asses to the OR. Merle, Daryl, grab her and get her onto the operating table.” Collyn went down into the bunker and yelled commands at everyone that came near.

Lori was rushed onto the table and given an anesthetic before Stevens started cutting into her to get the child out. The amount of blood coming out of her vagina suggested a ruptured placenta or uterus. Either way, the baby had to come out and fast. The cut through the layers of skin and tissue until they finally opened up the uterus. Blood welled up and spilled over the edges of the wound. Lori gasped for breath for a few minutes until a deep sigh signaled her death. Steven searched the blood filled uterus until he finally pulled out a baby. “It’s a girl.” He muttered as he passed her to Collyn.

She wasn’t breathing…

She started rubbing the baby with the towel in the hope to kick start her breathing. The sound of the baby crying came as a relief for all of them. Merle and Daryl had been watching from the sidelines, most likely traumatized by the bloody birth. “You alright boys?” She asked as she wrapped the little baby in a clean blanket and carried her over to the two tough gentlemen.

“Peachy.” Merle muttered as he watched Collyn and the baby. “Who’s gonna care for her?”

Collyn frowned at the tiny baby in her arms and bit her lip in worry.

“I don’t know…”


	13. Solutions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a rough time writing today and I couldn't focus, so this chapter is a little shorter than yesterday. Next chapter we'll see some new faces and little Judith gets a more permanent home. There may be some romance and perhaps even some smut next chapter. I'll have to see how it goes while writing.

Collyn:

She looked down at the tiny human being in her arms. This baby was born into a world of danger, a world filled with death, and she wouldn’t know any other world then this one. It wasn’t the brightest future but the least she could do was make her happy. To find her a loving family or take her into her own.

“Ya gotta figure somethin’ out. You can’t leave the kid now.” Merle said, looking down at the little baby in Collyn’s arms. She could see the little lines on his face and around his eyes that showed his confusion. The conflict within him was almost palable.

“I know… let’s get her outta here and have her checked out. We shouldn’t stay here.” Collyn said softly, guiding the brothers out of the room and to one of the smaller examination rooms.  
“Hey, could I hold her?” Daryl asked as he shuffled a little closer to take a better look at the baby. She smiled up at him and shot Merle a quick but amused look.

“Sure, come here.” She pulled him closer and positioned his arms correctly. “Hold your arms like that and mind her head.” She instructed, smiling brightly when the usual tough and gruff redneck melted away to show a kind and loving man.

“Look at ya, huh. Came into the world like the greatest bad ass of all time. Lill’ asskicker.”

“Little asskicker?” Collyn smiled at the younger Dixon, it was just so darn cute to see Daryl with that baby.

“’Suppose he’s gotta point, thing’s a bad ass.” Merle added, he was looking at the baby and at the same time he kept his distance from it. It was a little funny to see a big, moody, bad ass like him backing away from a little baby.

One of the nurses came in with a bottle of formula and handed it to Collyn before leaving. Collyn looked down at the bottle and handed it to Daryl, teaching him how to feed the tiny little girl.

“Ya like that, huh?” Daryl looked up at his brother and Collyn, smiling at them before focussing back on the baby. He gently rocked her in his arms and talked to her as she nursed on her bottle.

“What are you gonna do, darlin’? Can’t leave her with Darlyna. He don’t know nothin’ ‘bout babies.”

“Shut up Merle, you don’t either.”

“I ain’t the one holdin’ her, little brother.”

“Both of you, can it. I’ll take her in.” Collyn said, effectively stopping the banter between the two brothers.

“You sure you can handle that, shorty?” Merle smirked, teasing her was a new hobby of his in the last few months and it just annoyed the crap out of her.

“She gave birth to your son, brother. She can handle anythin’ that comes her way.” Daryl spoke up.

“Don’t mean she can handle officer friendly’s kid.”

“News flash, Merle. I am a mother already. I got this.”

“Just don’t expect me to step in. I ain’t takin’ care of kids that ain’t my own.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Collyn muttered, taking the baby from Daryl to burp her.  
One of the doctors came into the room and checked the little girl for any health issues. Thankfully, she was given a full clean bill of health and Collyn took her back to her own room to give the poor child some rest. There was a long road ahead for her.

—**——**——**——**—  
Caden:  
He just couldn’t understand why everyone was so upset. Carl, Sophia, Beth, Amy and even aunt Kailyn looked really scared right now. And the adults like Carol and Dale looked scared too! What was going on around here? Why was everyone acting so strange?  
He saw his mom and ran to her to ask but Daryl and Merle stopped him. Why were they stopping him?

“What’s going on?” He asked softly, clutching Merle’s leg as he looked up at the two brothers. Merle sighed and gently lifted him up on his arm, he didn’t look worried or scared. So whatever it was that had scared the others couldn’t be that bad. Because Merle wasn’t scared of things that weren’t bad. He wasn’t even scared of zombies! Cause Merle was really tough, nobody could hurt him.

“Carl’s mom had a baby, but she didn’t make it.” Merle told him and that confused him. Why was that scary? It wasn’t like Carls mom ever did anything. She didn’t even watch Carl most of the time. And that was really weird cause moms are supposed to watch their kids, but mom had told him that he couldn’t say anything about that.

“Oh.” He muttered, cocking his head in confusion when he realized Merle hadn’t told him if the baby was okay. “Does Carl have a sister or brother?”

“He’s got a lill’ sister now.” Merle looked down at him and it took all of his will power not to yawn right then and there. He was really tired. But he didn’t want to go to bed, not yet.

“Can I see her?”

“Nah, sport. Not today. How ‘bout we go spend some time together? You, me and Daryl?”  
He smiled at that and nodded enthousiastically. Spending some time with those two sounded like a really good idea to him. They could tell him stories and teach him how to shoot better with his bow and all kinds of other cool things.

Merle and Daryl brought him to their room and they settled down on the sofa. It was so hard to stay awake after all the excitement of today and he tried really hard not to fall asleep as Merle started telling him a story…

—**——**——**——**—

Merle:  
He’d never thought to be here one day, but here he was. Sitting on a couch next to his brother while telling a story to his four and a half year old son. Especially the four and a half was really important. Caden constantly reminded everyone about that, the little sass monster. Oh he was a good kid most of the time. He just had a bit of a sassy mouth and way too much guts for a kid his age. His own father would’ve whooped his ass if he ever talked like that. He couldn’t do that to his own boy, he was better than his old man.

“And that’s how Daryl got his nickname, Darlyna.” He finished, smiling just slightly as he took in the four year olds sleeping form. Caden wasn’t so bad when he was asleep, he was actually kinda cute, as far as a kid could be cute of course.

“You really had to tell ‘im that story?” Daryl complained, glaring at him as he made himself more comfortable.

“Ah come on little brother, it’s your best adventure yet.” He teased, laughing softly at Daryl’s glare. “Seein’ you come out of the girls bathroom was the funniest fuckin’ thing I ever saw.”

“Wasn’t funny.”

“To me it was. And I had your back, remember?”

“Yeah, guess so.”

“Did you have to tell him that?” Daryl asked.

“Oh come on, he had a good laugh. God knows he needed it.”

“’Suppose things have been rather shitty lately.”

“They’ll only get worse. Told her not to let them in.”

“She did what she thought was right, Merle. Ain’t nothin’ wrong ‘bout that.”

“I know, ‘s just… Never mind. Don’t matter.”

“You like her, don’t you. Really like her.”

“Like you like Callie? Yeah.”

“Damn… we’re fucked.”

Merle chuckled and the brothers shared a grin. “Yeah, but it don’t matter. We got a place to sleep, eat and perhaps even fuck. For the first time we got someplace we belong. We ain’t gonna fuck up this time, little brother.”

“Hell no. We gonna do right for once.”

Caden stirred in his sleep and rubbed his nose in his sleep. The two brothers looked down at the child, sharing a quick look before focusing back on the little boy.

“Look at him.” Merle muttered as he gently brushed Caden’s hair out of the little boys face.

“Lill’ Dixon in trainin’.” Daryl said, nodding at the child’s bow next to their front door.

“Yeah…” Merle looked down with a frown, averting his gaze so he wouldn’t have to look at his brother or little son.

“Ya ain’t anythin’ like him, merle. You’re way better than him.” Daryl laid a hand on his brothers shoulder in comfort and gently squeezed it. “He’s happy and he ain’t scared of you.”

“I know…” Merle paused for a minute and sighed “But he don’t know I’m his dad.”

“Collyn didn’t tell him yet?” Daryl looked surprised at that revelation.

“Nah, she thinks it’s best to hide it. See if we work out before we get his hopes up.”

“Don’t think that’s right but…”

“Makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, kinda. She gonna tell him when you two…”

“That’s the plan, don’t like it. It’s fuckin’ stupid. But that’s what she wants.”

“Man you’re fucked.”Daryl laughed softly, mindful of the sleeping child next to him.

“Shut up.” Merle chuckled, shaking his head at his younger brother’s amusement. He smiled down at the child sleeping in his arms and pulled him a little closer. He wanted to enjoy this while it lasted.


	14. Something there

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Graphic sexual situation, Merle and Collyn get it on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a couple of days. I had some schoolwork to complete and with NaNo and all, I forgot to continue on this project. I'll try to update at least weekly from now on, maybe more often depending on my schedule. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Please vote, like, comment or subscribe if you did because it gives me a lot of motivation and I'll probably update faster if you do.  
> See you at the next update!

Days went by and little ass-kicker, or Judith, as Carl had named her, became a ward of the base. She slept in Collyn’s room but during the day the Atlanta women and Kailyn looked after her. It suited him just fine, as long as they didn’t expect him to join in. He wasn’t gonna raise a kid that wasn’t his own. Caden stayed around him a lot and the little boy started copying his accent. He thought that was pretty sweet but Collyn held a different opinion. She wasn’t gonna stop him though, Caden was stubborn as a mule and she wouldn’t have the heart to really discipline the boy.

He sighed softly and went back to cleaning his gun. Caden was shooting off arrows into a target with his little bow, under the careful tutelage of his younger brother. Kid was having the time of his life and he wasn’t too bad at it. He wasn’t hitting ‘the brains’ yet but he was improving.

He thought of Collyn and her decision. He just couldn’t understand why she hadn’t told the little tyke yet. They were growing closer and had gone hunting from time to time. But she still kept her distance from him and he couldn’t figure out why. Was she falling for him and trying to hide it? Or was she turned off by him for some reason. He’d been acting like a gentleman so far. Well, as much as he could be in a base full of niggers, Chinese people and general scum. Wasn’t his fault they screwed up all the time.

He put his gun back together once he was done cleaning it and looked up when he saw Hershell approach. “If it ain’t the old man.” He greeted, scooting over a bit to let the man join him on the bench.

“Hello Merle.” Hershell replied, taking a seat next to him. “I see your boy’s improving his skills.”

“He’s gettin’ better at it, yeah.”

“You talked to Collyn yet?”

“Should I?”

“Well, with the way you two are dancing around each other… I’m surprised you haven’t done anything lately.”

“I ain’t gonna force her, I ain’t that kinda guy.”

“I didn’t mean it that way.”

“I know…” Merle looked down and sighed.

“Can’t hurt to talk to her, I know she’s alone in her office right now.”

“How do ya know that?”

“I asked.”

“Well, ain’t no time like the present, I guess. Keep an eye on Caden for me?”

“Of course.”

“Thanks.” Merle stood up and walked off to find Collyn. He wasn’t really the talking type but… well, couldn’t hurt to try.

His thoughts wandered around as his feet walked him right to Collyn’s office. He stopped in front of the door and knocked before walking in. Jesse and Collyn looked at him as he entered the room. He didn’t hear what they were talking about but apparently he wasn’t supposed to hear it anyway. Judging by the looks they send him.

“We’ll talk later, Jess.” Collyn said, dismissing her brother before inviting him to take a seat.

“How can I help you, Merle?”

“We need to talk.” Merle started.

“About what?”

“’Bout us.”

Collyn sighed and looked away as he rose from his chair. “I… Merle I can’t.”

“Why?” He growled, voice rising a little. “Ain’t I good enough for you?”

“What? No!” Collyn defended “You’re too good.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Merle frowned and slowly walked around the desk to gently turn her around to face him.

“Look at me, at my choices lately. I banished Shane and Rick and I caused Lori’s death. Now there’s two kids out there who were orphaned because of me.”

“Don’t start this shit.”

“But-”

“No. That ain’t your fault, darlin’. Shane and Rick were outta control and Lori was just a stupid bitch anyway. If anythin’, ya did those kids a favor.”

“I don’t know…”

“Let it go, Cole. Just let it go.”

“Alright…”

“Hey.” He gently raised her chin with a finger and made her look at him. “You may be drivin’ me mad, but I ain’t runnin’ away. I’m stayin’.”

Collyn smiled and wrapped her arms around him in a brief, quick hug. “Thanks.” She stood up on her toes and gently pressed her lips against his.

He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, pressing her body against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck as they battled for dominance. He lifted her up and sat her down on the desk. His hand slipped under her shirt, pulling the garment off her with some help. He shrugged off his open shirt and pulled his wife beater over his head before focusing his attention on Collyn again. He kissed his way down her neck and to her breasts, fondling one and flicking his thumb over it before teasing the sensitive little numb with his tongue. Sucking, gently pulling and licking it until she was a groaning mess beneath him.

Her pants and panties were the next garments to go. He kneeled on the floor and looked up mischievously before running his tongue over her clit. He latched onto it and gently pulled and suckled on it before exploring the rest of her. She moaned and writhed under his touch and skillful tongue. He gently inserted one finger into her and made a come hither motion. Judging by the groan it had the desired effect and he kept it up until he felt her walls tense around his finger.

He pulled out, smirking at the desperate moan that escaped her. He quickly unbuckled his belt and dropped his pants to his ankles as he stroked himself to hardness. He quickly pulled closer and entered her after he got the angle right. Sliding into her felt like heaven to him. It was familiar and yet completely different from that one night he spend with her almost five years ago.

They moved as one, like a well oiled machine with a whole lot of more passion. He left hickeys on her neck and collarbone and looked up into her eyes as he neared his climax. “Come for me, Coll. Come nice and hard.” He whispered into her ear. He closed his eyes when he felt her inner walls pulse and constrict, letting out a deep moan as he was milked dry and coated her pussy with his semen.

The two of them took a moment or two to catch their breath and smiled in satisfaction. “Damn. We gotta do that more often.”

“Yeah.” Collyn whispered, smiling when he looked at her. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and cuddled up against him to bond. He nuzzled the nape of her neck and held her close for a few moments before both of them got dressed and presentable.

“Guess we oughta tell junior the truth.” Merle started gently nudging her shoulder with his own in a silent hint.

“Guess we should. That does mean you gotta step up and be a father.” Collyn answered, smiling slightly at the tough redneck.

“I’ll give it all I got. Won’t say I’ll be the best father, but I won’t be the worst either.”

“Just try and be there for him. That’s all you need to do. He’s gotta figure things out on his own, especially in this world. It’s our responsibility to keep him safe, to guide him when he needs it and just to be there.”

“I got a feelin’ it isn’t as easy as ya make it out to be.”

“It never is but I don’t let that stop me. And I know you won’t either.”

“Ya right ‘bout that.” Merle answered, looking up when there was a knock on the office door.

“Come in!” Collyn called out.

Callie peeked out from behind the door before entering, wagging her eyebrows as a hint that she knew. Ah fuck, that couldn’t be good.

“Am I interrupting something?” Blondie grinned as she walked into the room. She looked like that damn grinning purple cat from Alice in Wonderland. And yeah, he knew what it looked like. He wasn’t stupid.

“No, no not at all.” Collyn replied, straightening out her shirt. She was trying to avoid her friends gaze, but what for? Blondie was hella annoying but she wouldn’t tell anyone. She wasn’t regretting this, was she?

“Alright..” Callie stopped in front of the desk and smirked at them. Oh yeah, Blondie knew and she loved to shove it in their faces. He didn’t care. Yeah, he banged her friend and he loved it. Big deal.

“So what’re you here for?” Collyn asked as she tried to straighten out some of the papers on her desk.

“Carol and Jesse want to talk to you and Hershell’s looking for Merle and Daryl. Wouldn’t tell me what’s up, but it seems serious.”

“I’ll find Darlyna and check it out.” He grumbled, pulling Collyn close so he could give her a quick peck on the lips before he headed out.

The last thing he heard as he left the room was Callie’s voice. “So you and Merle, huh? Tell me how’s he in the sack?”


	15. Immunity is the key

Collyn:  
“I’m sorry what?” Collyn stared at her friend for a minute or two before shaking her head. “That’s none of your business.”

Callie laughed and took a seat on the edge of her desk. “Really? That good, huh?”

She tried to keep the smile of her face, she really did. But Callie’s smile was contagious and she couldn’t help but return it. “Well, it wasn’t bad but there’s always some room for improvement. The scenery for one.”

“I’ll bet.” Callie grinned, getting up when there was a knock on the door. “Yeah come in.” Her friend called out, making her raise an eyebrow at her actions.

“I believe that’s my line, Cal.”

“Well someone had to say it and you’re still hooked on Merle..”

“Oh shut up.” Collyn gave her friend a gentle shove and shook her head, smiling. Jesse stopped in the doorway and chuckled before walking into the room, Carol following behind him.

“Do I wanna know what happened with the jerk?” He asked as he took a seat in one of the chairs opposite the desk.

“No you don’t.” Callie sang as she walked around the desk and leaned on it. “Not unless you wanna hear how you got your nephew in the first place.”

“Callie, not now. Please.” Collyn send her friend a glare before turning to Jesse and Carol again. “How can I help you?”

“I found it.” Jesse spoke up, looking back at Carol who nodded at him.

“Found what?” Collyn and Callie said simultaneously.

“I isolated the antibodies in Caden’s blood. If I can concentrate and multiply them I can make a serum or vaccine against the virus. Stop the living and unactivated from reanimating.”

“Can you?” Collyn asked softly, looking at her brother intently. Jesse was a brilliant scientist before this mess started. But that was when he had all the equipment they needed. They managed to salvage some equipment from a lab just outside of Charlotte but it wasn’t nearly enough to synthesize anything like that.

“Not with our current equipment. That’s why Carol’s here, she spotted another lab when her group was traveling around.”

Carol nodded in confirmation. “Yes, there’s a lab not far from here. Just outside the woods on the edge of a smaller town to the North.”

Collyn looked back at her brother and raised an eyebrow. “Is that the same lab that’s overrun?”

Jesse sighed and nodded. “Yeah. But if we wanna solve this mess, it’s our best shot.”

Collyn paced around the room and let her thoughts run wild. Was this gonna be worth the risk of a run like that? This wasn’t just about them anymore, they had people to look after. She had a community to run. Could she take a risk like this and still be justified in her actions? What if someone got killed? What was she gonna tell Caden? “I don’t know…” She admitted softly.

Jesse stood up from his chair and walked over to his sister, laying a hand on her shoulder. “Look, I know you’re worried. But this kind of risk is nothing compared to what you’re doing with Dixon.”

“Jesse!” Carol and Callie hissed, looking at the young man with contempt.

“Oh no you didn’t…” Collyn growled, glaring at her younger brother. “I don’t give a fuck of your opinion on Merle, but don’t you dare accuse me of endangering the community!”

“Shit, Cole, I didn’t mea-.”

“Oh fuck you, Jess! You did mean it.” Collyn snapped, interrupting her brother mid sentence. “Get out.”

“Cole…” Jesse started.

“No. Get out! Now! I don’t want to see any of you.”

Callie walked over to her friend and grasped Collyn’s shoulders firmly. “Snap out of it. You can’t keep running, Cole. People count on you” Callie said “You gotta step up now. Yeah, Jesse is a giant douche right now and yeah, you can kick his ass later. Hell, I’ll help you and I bet Carol would too. But right now, we gotta figure out a plan.”

Collyn took a few deep breaths, glaring daggers at her younger brother before nodding at her friend. “You’re right.” She muttered softly, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re right…”

“Look” Carol started as she walked up to Collyn. “Merle Dixon may be a douche bag, but if you trust him, then that’s good enough for me.” Carol gently squeezed her shoulder and gave her a small smile. “But right now, we got a chance to stop this thing once and for all.”

“And we should take it.” Collyn finished, nodding at Carol’s words. “Alright. We gotta assemble a team and get this show on the road. Make a list of people and send it to me before dusk.”

Callie and Carol nodded in agreement as they pulled Jesse along. “We will.”

She sank back in her chair and rested her head in her hands. What the hell was she gonna do? This risk better be worth it because she couldn’t take the pressure of these decisions anymore…

—**——**——**——**—

Merle:

He walked into the living room and quickly sought out the old vet on the other end of the room. Caden wasn’t around as far as he could see and that didn’t sit well with him. Had he gotten hurt? Was he missing again? Where the hell was that kid?

“What ya done with my boy, old man?” He asked as he approached Hershell and stopped in front of him.

“He’s with Maggie and Glenn.” Hershell answered while patting the seat next to him.

“You left him with ya girl and the Chinese kid?” He looked at the farmer in disbelief and resisted the urge to punch the older mans lights out.

“You don’t trust my daughter?”

“Nah, I trust her alright. It’s chopsticks I don’t trust.”

“Maggie will watch him, keep him safe.”

“If anything happens…” Merle threatened, glaring at the older man.

“It’s on me. I know.” Hershell answered, gesturing to the empty seat next to him.

Merle reluctantly sat down next to the old farmer and looked up when Daryl stopped in front of them.

“Sup, old man?” Daryl smirked, running a hand through his hair to keep it out of his face. “Where’s Caden?”

“Maggie and Glenn are watching him.” Hershell replied, sending Merle a stern look when the other man mumbled something about Chinese chopsticks. “Stop calling him that.”

“He’s Korean.” Daryl added, his little brother found his situation hilarious. He could see it in that damned smirk.

“Whatever!” Merle snapped back, turning to Hershell when the old man cleared his throat.

“What you got for us?”

“I’ve picked up some rumors, lately.” Hershell started…

“You called us here for some rumors?” Daryl asked, looking at the old farmer as if he was dealing with an insane idiot.

“No, I called you here to tell you the big secret of this place.”

“Secret?” Merle frowned and scooted a little further down the bench.

“Someone on base…” Hershell paused briefly “Is immune to the virus.”

“Immune? You mean they can’t infected with this thing, whatever it is?” Merle shared a look with his baby brother and frowned as he tried to figure out who it could be.

“Yes. And the reason why I’m telling you this…” Hershell sighed and closed his eyes. “It’s Caden. Caden is immune to the virus.”

Merle stared ahead in disbelief, trying to wrap his head around it all. Caden… Caden is immune? How the hell did that happen? What was gonna happen next? What if he got hurt, or bitten? Would he survive that?

“So even if he gets bitten, he’s gonna be okay?” Daryl asked.

“Yes and I heard Jesse’s taking blood samples every few weeks. Apparently he’s trying to synthesize a cure using Caden’s blood.” Hershell confirmed.

“Does Collyn know?” Merle turned his head to look at Hershell. His mouth set in a thin line. He was just so angry, at Collyn, at her brother and even at Callie for not telling him. Caden was his son just as much as he was Collyn’s. Even if they weren’t a couple, he still deserved to know what’s happening with their son.

“She does. But cut her some slack, she’s got a lot on her mind.”

“That ain’t an excuse.” Merle snapped, rising from the bench to find Collyn.

“Merle…” Daryl grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back. “Ya both right, but screamin’ at her? That ain’t gonna help. Think of ya boy, brother. Ya don’t want him to see his parents fightin’, do ya?”

Merle shook his head and shrugged Daryl’s hand off his shoulder. “No… I don’t want him to see us fightin’. I just wanna pummel her ass for not tellin’ me.”

“You can’t blame her, brother. She didn’t know ya all that well. She did what she thought was best for Caden.”

“Maybe…” Merle muttered as he sat back down and looked at his hand and the stump that was his right arm. “What am I supposed to do?”

“What you always do, Merle.” Hershell said as he laid a hand on Merle’s shoulder. “Just watch him and keep him safe, make him feel loved,”

Merle chuckled and shook his head. “I can’t do that. I can’t fuckin’ go on like I did before.” His voice became deeper and louder. “What the hell am I supposed to tell him?! Yeah, sorry son but ya ain’t goin’ anywhere on your own. Other people wanna grab you and take ya blood, but hey, don’t you worry about that.” He stood up again and paced around. “That’ll go over so fuckin’ well…”

“Then don’t.” Daryl spoke up. “Don’t tell him. Hell, he doesn’t know you’re his father, let alone somethin’ like that. Actually, why don’t ya start tellin’ him that? That you’re his father.”

“Hmm,” Merle hummed, he stopped pacing around and thought on it. “Guess it can’t hurt. Ya know, ‘cause I’m tappin’ his mom.”

Daryl shook his head and Hershell just chuckled. “True romantic aren’t you, Merle?” Hershell said.

“Course.” Merle answered. “I’m the most romantic redneck in South Carolina.”

“Course ya are.” Daryl chuckled, shaking his head at his older brothers antics. Darlyna obviously didn’t believe him but that’s alright. He believed it and that’s what mattered. He thought about the current situation for a good ten minutes until his thoughts were interrupted once again..

“Merle! Merle!” Caden yelled as he came running. The four year old had gotten used to him and loved to hang around. He didn’t mind it most of the time, it was kinda cute and it showed that Caden cared about him. Most people didn’t…

“Heya sport.” He greeted the child, scooping him up into his arms to keep him close. “You okay?”

Caden nodded, grinning as he started babbling about his time with Maggie and Glenn. He tuned it out for the most part, just smiling and nodding every once in a while to keep the little boy happy.

“And then Glenn boosted me up so I could see into one of the guard towers. And I climbed real high so I could see above the trees and…-”

“You did what?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, here's the update! Hope you guys like this one and stay tuned. Because the next update will feature two new characters, a showdown between Merle and Glenn and a special supply run. So keep an eye out for it and please like, subscribe, vote or review the story if you enjoyed it. See you guys at the next update!


	16. Wisdom to lead, courage you need

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's the new update. I decided that it would work better if the new characters are introduced in the next chapter. I hope you like it anyway and please comment/review, like/favorite/subscribe and vote if you can't wait for the next update.

Merle:  
He couldn’t believe it…

Chopsticks couldn’t be that stupid, could he? Don’t get him wrong, the kid needed to learn skills like that eventually, but he was four and a half years old. He just learned how to tie his own shoelaces for fucks sake.

Caden whimpered and flinched at his angry words, obviously not used to being snapped at like that. He felt kinda guilty for it, yeah the kid needed to learn people are douche bags, but he didn’t want his son to fear him. He wasn’t his father… He wasn’t an abuser and he wouldn’t become one.

He sighed and gently rubbed his sons back with the stump of his right arm. The one painful reminder he had of the old Atlanta group. They had left him up there to die… And now, chopsticks had fucked up again. “It’s okay, sport. I ain’t mad at you.” He murmured, glaring at the Chinese kid. If looks could kill the kid would’ve been fried rice already.

“Why the fuck would ya do somethin’ like that?!” Merle hissed, trying really hard to keep his voice down for Caden’s sake. God he wanted to pummel that kid into the ground. Who the fuck let a four year old climb on a guard tower?

“I didn’t know he was gonna do that! He said he just wanted a quick look.” Chin Chang replied, earning another glare from him.

God he was pissed. He faintly heard Hershell’s oldest make excuses for chopsticks but he paid them no mind. His son had been endangered, a little boy of barely five years old. He could’ve gotten hurt, or worse…

He felt Caden press closer as the little boy sought comfort in his arms and cuddled up to him. “’S alright, kiddo.” He murmured as he stroked his sons back. Beth, Amy and Kailyn walked up to them but he paid them no attention at first, he was way too focused on chopsticks and Hershell’s girl as they came up with excuses. They didn’t even have the fucking balls to admit they’re wrong… Disgusting.

“We’ll take him for a bit, if you don’t mind.” Kailyn said as she reached out for Caden. His first instinct was to pull away and keep Caden close. But, when he thought about it, this wasn’t a situation he wanted to expose Caden too. Not more then he was already.

He nodded and gently lifted Caden’s chin with his stump. “Kay? You be good and go with ya aunt. Alright, kiddo?”

Caden nodded and didn’t protest as he passed him to Kailyn. Amy and Beth smiled at him and waved Hershell goodbye before following their friend to take care of the kids. He found it admirable, the way those kids took care of the little ones. He’d never do it himself but he had to admit, it was god darn handy at times.

He turned back to Glenn and Maggie, glaring at the Chinese piece of shit as he stalked up to them. He grabbed Glenn’s neck and held him up against a nearby wall. “Now you listen, you little piece of shit…” He started as Hershell tried to pry him off of Glenn. Maggie was screaming in the background to let her little lover go but he paid her no mind. He didn’t fucking care what anyone thought.

“You ever come near my son again, I’ll fuckin’ kill ya. You got that, chopsticks?” He snarled, squeezing just a little harder. “You’re gonna pay for endangerin’ him, you’re gonna fuckin’ pay for that!”

“Merle!” Daryl yelled as he came running, his little brother had gone to the bathroom real quick before the fight escalated. He was back now though, and pulling on him to get him off Glenn.

“Let him go, Merle! Let him go!” Daryl yelled as he finally managed to pry Merle’s fingers from Glenn’s throat.

Glenn slid to the ground, gasping for air while he glared up at Merle. “You’re a fucking maniac.” Glenn rasped as he slowly got up on his feet again.

“Don’t ya dare test me, boy! I’ll whack the shit out of you.” Merle growled, trying to free himself from his brother’s hold.

“Stop it man!” Daryl janked him back and dragged him away from the Chinese kid. “Merle! It ain’t worth it, brother. Back down!”

“Oh I’ll stop, once I punch his friggin’ lights out.” Merle growled, breaking free from his brothers hold. He took one step and swung a fist straight into Glenn’s nose. The satisfying crack had him grinning like crazy. Damn that felt good. “Don’t you ever, ever come near my boy again!”

Daryl pulled him back again, shaking him while yelling something or the other. He didn’t care, he kinda enjoyed seeing the kid in so much pain. Was his own damn fault for endangering his boy.

He looked up when silence fell over the room and turned around to see Collyn standing behind him. She didn’t look too happy either.

—**——**——**——**—

Collyn: 

It was decisions like these that made her wonder why she was a leader in the first place. Albert’s death really got things rolling in the council all those months ago and now she found herself at the head of it. She was chosen democratically. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. Sure, they retained their humanity and kept from killing others as much as they could. The situation with Rick and Shane had been a rare exception.

She sighed softly as she slowly got up from her chair, grabbing some of the paperwork on her desk to look over while spending time with Caden. She hadn’t expected the shouting match when she stepped out of her office though. She walked up to all the commotion and froze in place when she found Merle standing over a bleeding Glenn. “What the hell are you doing?” She asked as he turned around to face her.

“Puttin’ chopsticks in his place, darlin’.” Merle chuckled, holding up his arms in a mock surrender as Daryl pulled him back.

“Merle!” Collyn hissed as she quickly crossed the distance between her and Glenn. She handed the files to the nearby Arthur and kneeled down next to the beaten up Korean. “Let’s have a look at that…” She gently lifted his chin to check out Glenn’s nose, wincing when she spotted the bruises and dried blood on his face. “What happened?”

“That asshole attacked me for no reason.” Glenn rasped, flinching whenever Collyn touched him.

Collyn frowned and slowly looked up at Merle before looking back at Glenn. She didn’t believe that at all. Whatever the reason was, Glenn must have done something to get such a violent reaction from Merle. “No he didn’t.” She stated, she wasn’t taking sides. Not yet anyway, but she knew Merle by now. And the redneck didn’t just attack without reason. He was a crazy son of a bitch, but not that bat shit crazy.

“What happened, Glenn?” She asked calmly, making eye contact with the Korean this time.  
Glenn sighed and looked up at Maggie for support. What could be so bad that he didn’t even want to tell her? “I-…” He cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. “Maggie and I were watching Caden and well… he wanted a boost to look at the guards in the guard tower. Next thing I know he’s climbing up the planks to get a better look. That asshole went ballistic when he got wind of it.”

“Excuse me, you did what?” Collyn gave Glenn a sharp glare to make her displeasure known. “Please have that checked out and visit the hospital, you’re on kitchen duty for the rest of the week.”

She couldn’t really punch him or anything like that. The crime he committed wasn’t severe enough for such an act of violence. If it even could be called a crime. Sure it was stupid and irresponsible, but it wasn’t against their regulations.

“What the hell?!” Merle suddenly grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. “You should’ve beaten the shit out of him!”

“What he did was stupid and irresponsible, that doesn’t mean he committed a crime. No I’ll never let him near Caden again, but I can’t beat him. Not for that.”

“That’s bullshit Cole.”

“Maybe… But that’s what I gotta do as a leader. Believe me, I wanna slap him silly but I can’t. My hands are tied.” She started, closing her eyes when Merle stormed past her. “Crap.”

“You gotta give him some time. He’ll come around.” Daryl said as he came up behind her and gently squeezed her shoulder.

She turned her head and smiled at him before looking at Merle’s retreating back. “I hope you’re right.”

—**——**——**——**—

Daryl:

Gathering at dawn was a new thing for everyone at the base but they needed the time to make the run. Special lab supplies were needed for the creation of the cure, supplies they didn’t have yet. He looked up and nudged Merle to gain his attention as Collyn came walking up to the group. It was a strong company, well, aside from Jesse. But they needed the kid to point out the equipment.

“Alright guys, we’re gonna make this a quick hit and run. We get in, get the equipment in the truck, grab some supplies and get out. No lagging behind, no macho acts. I wanna be back in the truck one hour after arrival.” Collyn relayed the plan to them and he nodded in agreement. She was right, a quick run was safest for everybody. He just hoped Merle could keep himself in check for a few hours.

Collyn led the group to the truck and got everybody in. They carried a small arsenal with them for defensive purposes. Kyle and Sanders sat in the cabin of the truck. Sanders had been a truck driver before the outbreak and Kyle wanted to learn the trade.

The back of the truck contained the weapons and the rest of the team. Collyn and Merle sat huddled together, his brother had his left arm draped over Collyn’s shoulder. They actually looked like a couple for once. Sure Merle was twice her age and old enough to be her father. But no one cared in this zombie apocalypse, hell, people didn’t give a rats ass about anything anymore. As long as they survived.

Callie had found her way on his left, her head was resting on his shoulder and she was laughing along to Carol’s story. The little grey haired woman had grown on him and became his friend along the way. Callie though, well, she was special and he didn’t mind her presence at all. It was kinda nice to have her around.

Besides, Carol seemed to have her eye on Arthur. Arthur was sitting beside Carol, he was a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes and seemed to be a little older then Callie. If he had to guess he’d estimate the man in his late twenties. Arthur was a good guy, kind, sweet and polite, but he could kick ass if he needed to. And he was kinda close with Sophia and the other kids, teaching them basics like English, math and science.

Jesse and his little friend Fiona were at the far back, quietly conversing amongst themselves. Jesse was a bit of a wuss, unlike his friend. But, he was the only guy that could point out the things they needed and that’s why they had to drag his sorry ass around with them.

After a long drive the trucks doors finally opened and they poured out immediately. He was on high alert as they opened the cargo doors and fired off bullets into the zombies skulls. They dropped bodies everywhere as they pushed through into the center of the lab. The easy part had been achieved. Getting the stuff out of there was the real pain.

He was loading up some kind of big machine into the truck with Merle, pushing it all the way to the back when he heard it.

Callie’s and Collyn’s screaming…

—**——**——**——**—

Collyn:  
She pushed against the door with all of her weight and strength, trying to hold off the rotting corpses on the other side for as long as she could. Callie was helping her but they were losing, and fast. She was thrown backwards when they finally broke through. She quickly grabbed Callie and started running back to the truck. Kyle and Sanders were loading up the last pieces of equipment while Merle and Daryl came running to their aid. Bullets whizzed past them, blood was everywhere.

In the confusion of their escape they hadn’t noticed the older man and little girl sneak into the truck. The group ran into the back, guns blazing until Kyle finally closed the door. The last thing they heard were Kyle’s panicked screams as the truck pulled away. What the hell had happened?

She stood panting in the middle of the truck, trying to keep everything together. She felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and cried out, collapsing onto the hard steel floor of the truck. Her vision blurred and she groaned softly when someone lifted her up just a little. Merle was holding her, screaming something about intruders, that was the last thing she registered before she passed out.


	17. Secrets

Collyn:

Her eyes felt like they were glued together by sand as she opened them. They were still in the truck as far as she could tell. A soft groan escaped her lips as she gently rubbed her eyes to clear them and she sat up. The yelling in the truck stopped for a moment or two as Merle seemed to study her before focusing back on the man he was arguing with. Why the hell were they screaming like that?

“What’s going on?” She asked softly, looking at Callie and Daryl for answers. The two of them merely pointed to an older man holding a baby and a little girl next to him. He seemed to be Merle’s age, the little girl was about eleven if she had to guess.

“Hey!” She yelled over the screaming of the two men. “Shut the fuck up!” It wasn’t the most sophisticated approach but it served it’s purpose.

Both men looked at her with wide eyes and waited for her to say something, anything really. “Good. Now that I have your attention… Who are you?”

The stranger glared at Merle again before turning to Collyn. “I’m Kenny, this here is Alvie and she’s Clementine.”

“Kenny…” Collyn repeated, nodding at the older man respectfully. “Why are you in our truck? Did you think it would be a good idea to fuck with us or are you just stupid?”

“Why you little…” Kenny started as he stepped towards Collyn, only to meet Merle’s knife.

“Don’t you fuckin’ dare it.” Merle growled, pulling Collyn closer to protect her.  
She gently placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him down, resting her head against his shoulder. She was just so tired. But she knew she had to keep it together a little longer. The little stow aways had to be dealt with.

“Look lady, I got two kids to look after. Just please take them in. They need a good place.” The man, Kenny begged her. She stared into his eyes for minutes, trying to determine if he was speaking the truth.

She finally nodded and gestured for Clementine and Kenny to sit down. “We’ll take you in on probation. One toe out of line and you’re out of the community.”

Her head seemed to spin around again and slowly her eyes closed as fatigue settled over her once again.

—**——**——**——**—

Merle:

He asked Daryl to remove his knife before he picked her up. Collyn was out cold again and he didn’t like it one bit. What the hell was going on with that woman? She couldn’t be pregnant… Well technically she could be but it was less than twenty four hours ago since they had some fun in her office. Women didn’t experience symptoms that quick. Least, he didn’t think they did.

He carried her straight to the med offices and laid her down on one of the examination tables. “Yo doc!” He yelled, grabbing one of the passing doctors by the arm. “Got an important patient for ya.”

He walked over to Collyn and stood at her side as the doc checked her out. “Well?” He asked, shuffling on his feet and wringing his hands together. The doc looked back up at him and shrugged.

“I can’t find anything unusual. She’s probably just overworked and exhausted. She’s got a lot to deal with.”

He sighed softly and thanked the doctor, albeit reluctantly. He gently carried her through the hallways and into her room so she could rest up. He laid down on the bed with her in his arms and watched her sleep. “You gonna give me a heart attack, darlin’. Swear to god I’ll wack ya a good one if ya scare me like that again.” He gently tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead before closing his eyes once again.

—**——**——**——**—

Three months passed since that day at the lab and things returned to normal for the most part. The lab equipment they had salvaged turned out to be incomplete, several key components were missing or broken. A major setback for the base and a pain in Collyn's side.

Speaking of Collyn, she was acting a little weird lately. She had accepted him as a part of her life, as the father of their son. And for once, things were looking up for him and even Daryl. His little brother had gotten it on with Callie and the two were practically attached at the hip. Almost the exact opposite of him and Collyn. She was distant and constantly lost in thought. He worried about her health, what if she was gonna have another fainting fit?  
He tried not to let it show. After all he was still Merle Dixon, asshole extraordinare. Wouldn’t be good for his rep if he suddenly went all soft on his girl. He looked down when someone pulled on his jacket, smiling at his little son as he lifted him up. “Sport, you been good to ya mama?”

“Yes.” Caden replied, playing with the collar of Merle’s shirt as he babbled on about his day. “Mama went to the doc today.” The little boy muttered when Merle shifted him in his arms.  
Merle froze and looked at Caden intently for a few moments. “Why did she go see the doc? She sick?”

“I dunno. I think so.”

“Where’s ya mama, Kay?” Merle asked but Caden just shrugged.

“Dunno…” The little boy trailed off.

“Don’t ya lie to me, boy. Where’s ya mom?” Merle glared at the young child until the boy finally cracked under his murderous gaze.

“She’s with auntie Carol. They’re on watch at the west tower.” Caden finally admitted, looking down as he tried to keep tears at bay. “Are you mad at me, papa?”

Merle sighed and shook his head, gently ruffling Caden’s hair. “Nah, sport. Ya told me the truth in the end. But you better not lie to me again. Ya hear me?”

“Yes, daddy.”

“Atta boy. Now go find ya uncle Daryl. Bet he’s got some stuff for ya.”

Caden nodded and ran off as soon as his feet hit the ground. Merle slowly released a breath and walked up top to find Collyn and shake some manners into that woman.  
Why the hell was she hiding things from him? What in hells name could be so damn bad that she wouldn’t tell him about it? He oughta whoop her ass for that!  
He stalked up the stairs to the tower and gestured to Carol to get the hell out. When she didn’t move he snarled at her “Get out”.

“What the hell is your problem?” Collyn snapped as she stood up from her chair and turned to face him.

He sneered at her, not caring for her tone at all. God he wanted to knock some sense into her, to wack her one for talking back to him like that. But that was exactly what his daddy had done to his mama. And he wouldn’t become like his daddy.  
“When were you gonna tell me?”

“Tell you what?” Collyn frowned, staring at him before realization dawned on her. “Caden told you…”

“Hell yeah, he did! What the fuck are you thinkin’?! Hidin’ stuff from me like that. I’m ya man, woman. How in hell am I supposed to keep ya safe if you won’t tell me what’s up?!” He ranted and raved, not caring who heard it. He didn’t fucking care what they thought of him.

“Merle…” Collyn started, but one glare shut her up real quick.

“Spit it out.” He growled, stepping closer to her so he could lift her chin so she had to look into his eyes.

“Please don’t get angry…”

“I won’t if you tell me, woman.”

Collyn sighed and closed her eyes for a moment or two before reopening them.

“I’m pregnant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the update! I had some trouble writing this and I hope it's a good update. I've had inspiration problems the last couple of days so I'm just really happy I got this chapter done in the first place. As always let me know if you liked this and what you think of the story so far. I'll see you guys at the next update.


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